


The Midwest wind of Pisces Rising

by Jamilton



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Aaron and Alex are friends fucking fight me, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Are they gonna be a thing again?, Arguing, Blow Jobs, Character Development, Cliche, Denial of Feelings, Desk Sex, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub Undertones, Emotionally Repressed, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fights, Fluff and Humor, Friends With Benefits, Fuckbuddies, Happy Ending, Hate Sex, Human Disaster Alexander Hamilton, Humor, I can't even, I really tried, I'm so sorry I don't think this'll be interesting without horrible angst, Idiots in Love, Jealous Thomas, Jealousy, Just please don't judge me, Kinda, Kink Negotiation, Light Angst, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Main characters do not die, Minor Character Death, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, My First Smut, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Office, Orgasm Delay, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Past Relationship(s), Past Thomas Jefferson/Alexander Hamilton - Freeform, Pining, Please Don't Hate Me, Plot, Poor Aaron Burr, Rough Sex, Sarcasm, Secret Relationship, Single Parent Aaron Burr, Slow Build, Slow Burn, That poor desk has seen too much, The weakest au don't even look at the structure of this supposed white house, They're so fucking stupid it isn't even funny, This is the longest fic I've ever written like kill me now please, Thomas Jefferson Being an Asshole, Under-Desk Blow Jobs, Unrequited Love, Wall Sex, Wet Dream, White House, Without the friendship, it's just sad, more plot than smut, oooh IDK, plot heavy, you sad fucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-09-21 11:53:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 41,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17043245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamilton/pseuds/Jamilton
Summary: What happens if, instead of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson was president after Washington?





	1. There's a Good Reason These Tables are Numbered

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry for this garbage on fire will probably delete later

And yet, matters still carried on.

Even if Alex firmly held the belief that things were compelled to stutter to a sharp halt, the universe refused to bend to Alex's perception of what should happened. Everything had changed in under a month and he was helpless to stop it.

He couldn't stop the way half of his co-workers and friends were fired or quit - Angelica and Eliza opted retirement on the same day, Mercer was fired due to ' _incompetence_ ' so quickly everyone recieved whiplash - and despite this, Alex remained.

It wasn't as though he had much choice.

He couldn't quit like two of the Schuylers had; he didn't have family money to fall back on until he could get back on his feet and find a new job. Alex couldn't afford a month or so of unemployment, either; after deciding to move out of his old apartment and finally purchase a small suburban house, his mortgage was unmissable, and debt was an ominousy looming threat.

This meant that Alex was forced to be on his best behaviour, polite and  _courteous_  to a man he hated more than anyone else. His only option was to bide his time, to lie in wait until he could secure another job whilst suffering in a deeply uncharacteristic silence.

The best he could do was keep his head down and avoid detection. Somehow, he hadn't been fired - whether this was due to Jefferson having sudden moral calling, Alex's avoiding a decent reason to be fired, or due to Jefferson finding Alex's struggles amusing, he wasn't entirely sure. Unfortunately, however, it seemed likely to be the latter.

His work was reduced to organising papers and spending a lot of time waiting, tense. The singular strike of luck was that, by some miracle, he had found an unlikely ally in one Aaron Burr.

A handful of months or so ago, Alex would have never dropped his grudge against the man. Burr still seemed both physically and psychologically unable to express any type of opinion, and Alex could tell that he continued to irritate the fuck out of Burr. They had put their differences asides and learned to exist with one another and deal with a bigger evil.

Sometimes it felt as though he and Burr were the only normal people there. This, naturally, caused Alex to wonder if he was going fucking insane.

Regardless of what was truth, Alex still had to survive when there was a rather tenacious target attatched to his back that he couldn't quite shake off. Which was why, when Madison showed up at his office, Alex couldn't stop the jolt of dread curling uncomfortably in his chest.

"The president would like to see you." Madison stated, perpetually impassive since he got a job as vice-president and became a friend to nobody but Jefferson. Alex raised an eyebrow, feigning even indifference.

"Mr Vice-President, what an honour." He retorted, taking care to place his tone of voice on the thin blade between mocking and sincere so that Madison couldn't be definite which one he intended to have. Madison, however, had always been surprisingly intuitive, and he thinned his lips but abstained from comment. Alex continued. "Am I in any trouble? No? Well, I do wonder our  _beloved_  boss wants."

"You should watch your tongue Hamilton, or you'll talk yourself into situations you can't fight a way out of. Thomas no longer has reason to be inclined to spare leniency to you." Madison suggested evenly, somehow making his voice more of a considerable warning than a threat. Alex felt a slight spark of resentment at this - Madison should be more direct instead of dancing around the fact that they both knew that Jefferson would fire him as soon as he had a reason to.

"Thanks for the advice." Alex said, flat, giving nothing away. Madison paused, expressions morphing and he opened his mouth as though he was going to say something but paused, jaw snapping shut. He nodded curtly, then turned on his heel and left. Before leaving he clicked the door shut, displaying more respect than Jefferson would when visiting Alex's office - he would spare a smirk, leaving the door ajar wide enough to allow a cold draft that heated Alex's anger.

Alex decided to wait for a few seconds, sending a quick text to both Lafayette and Hercules, but recieved no reply. Lafayette was busy in France, and since there was a different timezone, he didn't expect a response. His message was more out of a comforting habit than for results. As for Hercules, Alex knew that he was incredibly busy, especially after starting his own tailoring business.

 _Fuck_ , things had changed.

He sighed heavily, trying to stall for a few minutes before getting gingerly to his feet. He pocketed his phone, then trailed after where Madison was headed. However, before encroaching on Jefferson's territory, he stopped by Lafayette's old office. He knocked the door and crossed his arms close to his chest.

"So, he's called you in again." Burr mused as soon as he opened the door. Alex huffed, grimacing at how Burr was able to quickly and accuractly read his expression. "Fifth time this week."

"And it's only Wednesday." Alex added, giving a slightly wry smile that Burr returned. They exchanged looks - both had been through this ritual before, and both needed to stay for serious reasons. Burr, however, was in a far more precarious situation; as a single father with a young daughter just starting her education, losing his job was completely out of the question.

Alex continued to walk down the corridor, the sound of his footsteps far too loud against a smooth, marble tiled floor. For some reason, it felt clinical and detatched. It took him a minute or so of walking to Jefferson's office, and when he arrived, instead of barging into the area, he knocked politely, and stood back a respectful distance. Instead of answering immediately, Jefferson left Alex to stay outside for several minutes until Alex got impatient, swallowed his pride, and knocked again.

"Enter." The voice was muted, one word somehow laced with arrogance to the point where Alex had to grit his teeth and remind himself that he would be arrested and in serious trouble if he assaulted the president of the United States. Alex inhaled slowly, reigning in his agitation, before complying to Jefferson's command.

Even as Alex entered, Jefferson ignored him, dark eyes directed at his laptop. Alex couldn't help but appreciate the acting skills; Jefferson seemed every bit a devoted worker, despite the fact that Alex knew he was an obnoxious bastard obessed with his superiority complex.

Alex cleared his throat, resisting the urge to cross his arms or display a defensive stance that could be taunted. Naturally, Jefferson did not respond. Alex was aware that, until he adressed Jefferson with some formality, he would be talking to a brick wall, though currently a brick wall was far more favourable than the present situation.

He supposed Jefferson somehow got a kick at reminding Alex that he was in charge. His pride stood strongly for several, bowstring-tense seconds, before something got to him and he watched his determination crumble to his feet.  He tried to force his voice to at least sound neutral, but instead, his words sounded strained, forced and overall as though he hadn't spoken in decades. "Sir?"

This finally got Jefferson's attention. Jefferson glanced up at him, not even bothering to feign surprise at his appearance, and his laptop was smoothly snapped shut. "Ten minutes to walk down a corridor, Hamilton?"

A myriad of responses flooded to the forefront of his mind, but he held off the more impulsive, incredibly unfriendly yet truthful ones by the skin of his teeth. Flatly, and in a deadpan, "I stopped to admire the scenery."

"As I'm sure you will, though I would hardly call Mr Burr scenery." Jefferson drawled lazily, though he didn't smirk - not yet, at least. The insinuation wasn't one of his strongest, a starter intended to provoke Alex, and it worked.

"No, I was referring to Mr Madison." Alex retorted, before belatedly realising that he had rushed into a trap. To confirm this fact, Jefferson finally flashed his trademark smirk, leaning back slightly in his chair as though he knew something Alex couldn't understand.

"I'm sure you were." Jefferson replied, arguably quick, as though he had that reply prepared. Knowing Jefferson, he had. "Regardless of your amorous pursuits, work comes first and foremost."

Alex bit back a sharp comment that was sure to lose him his job. Habit called for him to let it spill, but Washington wasn't here to watch his back and as much as he loathed it, Jefferson was in charge here. Instead, he opted to step past a response and remain in silence.

Jefferson didn't seem content with this, and he waited until Alex finally snapped, "Yes."

"I'm glad to see we're in agreement." Jefferson replied. Without saying another word, he placed a thick file that Alex immediately identified as one that he was informed to organize little under a week ago. Something in his resolve cracked like ice, which left him counting slowly up to ten in attempts to regain control over his temper. He was barely able to do so, and he balled his hands into tight fists. "Unfortunately, some of the financial sheets slipped, and I'm far too busy to sort them again."

"Of course." Alex quickly forced a bland, flat smile that he was sure didn't reach his eyes and was probably little more than a sardonic quirk of thinned lips. He retrieved the file from Jefferson's desk, which caused Jefferson to glace up. Dark eyes met his own, and for a second, Alex felt bare, as though Jefferson could see right through him. This both caused both an odd urge to shy away and an undeniable frustration. Sharply, "Is that all, _sir_?"

Jefferson didn't answer, but raised an eyebrow, opening his laptop and directing his eyes away from Alex in obvious dismissal. However, as soon as Alex had turned, he felt a gaze following him. Instead of ignoring it - or even  _enjoying_  the attention, as he used to before Jefferson was president and became less human - Alex turned to make eye contact, jaw tense.

He seemed to be taken aback by Alex's sudden movement, but he quickly recovered, shouders relaxed and seemingly in control of the situation. "I expect it to be done in thirty minutes."

Alex thinned his lips. He wisely decided to forego any response, turning and leaving the office so that he didn't have to personally deal with more of Jefferson's bullshit. As soon as he was outside, he let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.

It meant that he had survived another day of work, and another day without losing composure. Almost shakily with unpredicted relief, he made his way to Burr's office to inform him on what had happened.

Burr, surprisingly, wasn't inside of his office, but waiting for Alex. He took a mere look at him before sighing, the ghost of a smile forming on his lips. Alex returned it. It was almost a team-like solidarity; neither wanted the other to lose their respective jobs, even if they didn't hold a decent friendship.

However, his smile quickly dropped when Burr noticed the file in Alex's hand. Flatly, he stated, "The fourth time."

Alex nodded gingerly - one time mixing up Alex's old financial plan could be a mistake, the second time an irritant, the third blatant, and the fourth an insult. He walked through the door of his office, throwing the file to the floor. "We have half an hour."

"Urgh." Burr replied articulately, following Alex, and threw open the file, spreading the total pages across the floor, some overlapping. Sometimes Alex regretted writing one hundred and seventeen pages in tiny font.

A silence fell between them as they each focused. A pile was slowly and systematically built, before Alex leant back and sighed heavily. Burr, too, paused. He was wearing a small, curious frown that Alex matched, tilting his head slightly and indicating that Burr should speak. Finally, he did. "I know it's not my place, but - is it true?"

"Hm?" Alex gave a noncommittal hum, checking the time to find that ten minutes had passed. He thinned his lips in the reminder that Jefferson was in charge and opted to return sorting through his papers.

"That you and Jefferson..." Burr quickly trailed off when he read something closing off on Alex's expression. Alex held back the immediate denials, squaring his shoulders as he hunched over the pages. He immediately knew what Burr was referring to; it was something of an office rumour started by Lafayette but caught on like wildfire.

Tersely, "That was long ago."

Alex tried to push back the memories of burning hands on warm skin, lips meeting in the safety of darkness, of soft looks and private smiles.

As though he could shake away his thoughts, he shook his head, feeling the usual tightness of his chest whenever he recalled this. Burr widened his eyes in a sudden understanding. "I didn't know, I'm sor-"

"Don't be." Alex replied flatly, directing his eyes so that he was fixated on ordering the fiftieth page. He cleared his throat. "It was just an arrangement, no strings attatched."

"Ah." Burr replied intelligently, his eyes remaining on Alex for a few more seconds before he, too resumed helping Alex. "He's a bastard."

Alex startled strongly. He dropped the piece of paper he was holding, gaping dumbly at Burr. Burr didn't notice his shock for several seconds. When he did, he glanced up at Alex in confusion. "You just _insulted_ someone."

Suddenly, Burr looked so done with Alex's shit that Alex couldn't help but laugh. Burr joined in, giving a few chuckles before he sobered. "Please don't tell him I've said that."

Alex rolled his eyes, which was enough of an answer. When the plan was organized, both stood up, admiring their handiwork. Alex nodded in approval. "Twenty minutes faster than last time, and with five minutes to spare."

"That's where decent teamwork and a deadline will get you." Burr added in agreement, picking up Alex's file and handing it to him with a jaunty air. Alex caught it, tucking it under his arm. He offered a smile, one that stated his gratitude without forcing him to verbalize it.

Burr recognised the gesture for what it was, and nodded once. Then, just barely out of unison, both left Alex's office and began to walk slowly back to Burr's. They didn't hold a conversation - partially due to Charles Lee haunting the corridor - and the silence was slightly awkward. Burr left his company when they arrived to the outside of his office, and Alex continued his walk, trying to act as dignified as possible when Lee unsubtly regarded him with suspicious eyes.

This time, he didn't bother to knock. He had too much pride, and Jefferson didn't deserve the politeness he demanded of Alex. Jefferson didn't seem surprised at Alex's intrusion.

Instead, he opted to watch Alex walk down to his desk and hardly reacted when Alex placed the file on his desk with a bit more force than necessary. Jefferson was relaxed, calm, with his usual purposeful indifference. The lack of response was beginning to grate on his nerves. "Here's the damn file."

"Tetchy." Jefferson observed dryly. Alex gritted his teeth in response, feeling his temper flare, but this didn't seem to bother Jefferson. Alex tried to follow the calming techniques Hercules had taught him, but was only able to count up to five before quickly feeling his irritation shatter into shards of glass.

"Fuck off, you bastard." Alex snapped. Jefferson didn't even react, giving a damn smirk. Alex expected to feel a jolt of ice interrupting his anger, especially at the way Jefferson had seemed to plan this, but instead he felt a sick feeling of satisfaction at finally being able to speak his mind.

"Now, now, Hamilton, weren't you taught how to play nice?" Jefferson asked in a drawl, smirking. Alex glared darkly, tensing so much he felt his muscles already begin to ache. "It seems you've forgotten."

"Don't." Alex replied sharply, heart an unusual, familiar pace. He couldn't stop the way Jefferson still affected him, and they both knew it. He broke eye contact, staring down at the floor before looking back at Jefferson. "If that's all, then I'm going to return to my office."

"Of course." Jefferson replied evenly, quickly putting on a strictly professional facade. He didn't watch Alex as he left. He was free to walk away, and he did so quickly and without a backwards glance. He didn't make his usual stop by Burr's office, heading straight to his and slamming his door shut as loudly as possible, allowing the sound to echo up the corridor

He was left to his own thoughts which was likely far worse than Burr's questioning. Instead of allowing this to build up, he tried to ease it by pacing around his office, untying his hair before retying it and repeating the series of actions several times until his mind caught up with what he was doing and he stopped.

Burr didn't provide any distraction, but Hercules had recently replied, and the exchange was quick and felt far too rushed. It made Alex feel lonely, of all things, because it felt like a week ago he and Lafayette were trying to out-drink eachother under Hercules's careful supervision and occasional engagement.

The day ended with Alex being frustrated beyond words.

 

 

 

**< <>> <<>> <<>>**

 

 

 

_Hands traced, teasingly light, against Alex's burning skin. His breath hitched, arching into the touch as it drifted lower, lower - and then stopped completely. Alex bit his lips to stop himself from making a complaint, but this seemed to be reaction enough._

_"You want something?" Thomas asked, voice low and honeyed and Alex shivered at the sound of it. His hands were still secured against Thomas's waist, arousal thickly stirring low in his chest. Thomas straddled his hips, giving the occasional shift that caused a perfect amount of friction before moving to prevent any pleasure enough to push Alex over the edge._

_"Stop teasing, you bastard." Alex retorted, voice developing a breathy quality that took away any bite. He sought out friction, but Thomas had pinned him down, so Alex did nothing but prove Thomas's point._

_"Do you want to come?" Thomas asked, leaning forward so that warm breath softly pressed against his neck. Alex remained stubbornly silent, and in retaliation, a sharp bite was placed on his neck, before a rough tongue licked across what was most likely going to be a bruise. Alex gasped in response, his cock twitching in interest. A demand was whispered against skin. "Ask."_

_He struggled to hold back a response. Alex knew what Thomas wanted to hear, and that was for him to beg. Submission wasn't in his nature, but right now, it was so damn tempting. His breath was ragged, eyes heavily lidded and his skin feeling so warm. It took a few seconds before everything felt too much and yet not enough. He felt a flush of embarrassment that did nothing to halt his arousal. "Please, Thomas - I can't-"_

_Thomas hummed in approval, finally moving his hand so that it was directly over his cock. He gasped, not wanting to miss what Thomas was doing but helpless to the rough palming against his cock the occasional press of lips against his._

_He was so damn close, now beginning to let out a litany of desperate words - "Please, Thomas, fuck, I'm close-"_

 

 

 

**< <>> <<>> <<>>**

 

 

 

Alex woke up with a racing heart, feeling far too hot and blood rushing dangerously southward. He tried to calm his uneven breath, ignoring his interest as much as he could. Rather stiffly, he got to his feet, proceeding to have a cold shower that wasn't a particularly genius idea since it was a exceptionally harsh winter.

He shivered, dressing as quickly as possible and, following the time check, decided that there was no where near enough time for breakfast and that this morning's very unwelcome distraction meant that he needed to leave for work in five minutes.

There was still no reply for Lafayette, but Alex wasn't expecting one.

It felt as though the entire world was against him; he missed the bus despite the fact that he was at the bus stop two minutes early. It meant that he had to walk to work, making him later than he already was. Security found the entire situation amusing, and Seabury was sure to gleefully inform the rest of the office about what had happened.

When he saw Jefferson in the elevator, he had originally planned to develop a sudden interest in the reception desk and try to engage a glaring receptionist into a conversation. However, Alex could see that Jefferson noticed him, and, like the bastard he was, overtly pressed the ' _close doors'_ button.

Any thought of avoidance was promptly thrown out the window. Alex was never one to back away from a challenge, especially one as direct as that. He arrived in time, hand catching the door before it fully closed. Without glancing at Jefferson, he proceeded to press all seven buttons indicating which floor to go to.

This was able to bring him an admittedly petty sense of satisfaction, but this meant that he held himself up, too. As subtly as possible, and without drawing much attention to himself, he pressed his back against the metal wall, furthering the difference between them. Jefferson seemed vaguely amused by the entire situation, and Alex felt eyes fastened on him. He was able to ignore this for two seconds before his resolve cracked and he met Jefferson's eyes with a scowl.

Instead of sparing an insult, like Alex expected, Jefferson was regarding him carefully, noting Alex's defensive posture. The scrutiny caused a deeply unwanted flush to rise to his face - a lot had changed during the past few months, but one thing that remained the same was how goddamn attractive Jefferson was.

It felt as though nothing was able to slip past Jefferson, and he noted the blush colouring Alex's cheeks with a knowing smirk. This made things worse, but it saved Alex from focussing on Jefferson's outwards appearance, instead noticing how arrogant Jefferson could look, as though he was better than Alex. Indignantly, he crossed his arms close against his chest. "Have you got a problem?"

"Hardly. Though, judging by your reaction, you certainly do." Jefferson replied in a drawl that Alex firmly decided was not attractive. Memories of last night - of that  _dream_  that was more memory than fiction - began to surface, and Alex cursed the timing.

Alex remained silent, jaw tensed as though he was forcing himself to remain silent. He wasn't sure what to say, an occurrence so rare it never failed to halt any thought process.

He really had made a mistake by pressing all of the damn buttons. Jefferson, however, seemed completely unperturbed, as though he wasn't standing in an elevator with someone he used to fuck.

It took minutes of tensed silence to get to the fifth floor, but as soon as it happened, Alex was out of there quicker than he thought himself capable of. He hurried into his office, pulse rapid and heavy.

Peggy was waiting for him.

She was the only Schuyler to stay. Her and Alex had never talked much, and since she was on the second floor - and Alex, the fifth - they never had any reason to visit eachother. He didn't recoil like he would if Angelica was there, waiting for him. Nor did he smile, because Peggy wasn't Eliza.

Alex briefly wondered if this had anything to do with Jefferson, before feeling particularly stupid because she wasn't a mind reader. Chances were, even if Peggy knew about everything, she didn't care. Alex tried to shake any thoughts of Jefferson. He cleared his throat. "Hey, Peggy."

Peggy smiled at him, and he returned it with a bit of relief. Peggy wouldn't smile unless she thought she had good news for him. "Hey yourself, Alex. Just came to stop by and tell you that there's going to be a new addition to your floor in about a month."

"Oh." Alex said. He didn't particularly care about new people - if they were good at their job, they stayed. If they weren't, or somehow earned Jefferson's ire, they left.

"Some kid from South Carolina." Peggy continued, not slightly dissuaded despite Alex's definite disinterest. "I don't know his name, but if he's hot, I'm calling dibs."

"You're more than welcome to him." Alex replied, raising an eyebrow. He knew better than to mix work with pleasure - Jefferson aiding this case quite significantly - and another office fling was out of the question. Peggy continued the conversation for a few more minutes, most likely out of social obligation, before sending a cheerful 'goodbye' and leaving. Alex was left to his own thoughts.

He tried to occupy himself by fucking around on his computer, sending a handful of emails to Burr out of boredom and surprisingly receiving one back. However, he soon dismissed it when he saw that it was a discussion about the supposed newcomer.

The slow day passed into a week and Alex was fucking bored. It was one of the main things he had noticed about Jefferson becoming president was the sudden tedious nature of work. Without being forced to think quick on his feet and retort with sharpness, his mind was wandering onto the past and Alex hated it when that happened. 

He was beginning to snap at Burr, his irritation getting the better of him. Burr had more patience than Alex could even dream of possessing, but this didn't stop Alex from being frustrated. He was constantly tensed, seconds away from snapping at anyone enough for Burr to give him a wide space. Which was why, when the door to his office was opened, he snapped, "What?"

"It's nice to see you politness isn't reserved for me." A voice drawled in response, causing Alex's head to snap up. His eyes narrowed when he saw Jefferson, leaning casually against his door frame. Alex narrowed his eyes, sitting straighter and squaring his shoulders.

"I don't play with bias." Alex replked automatically, the ' _unlike you_ ' unspoken but still heard. Jefferson thinned his lips at this, dark eyes glaring but expression otherwise impassive. Frustrated, Alex asked dryly, "Here to get your power play kick?"

"You wish." Jefferson retorted, voice smooth and dark and this sent something low in Alex's chest stirring. He gritted his teeth against the familiar sensation, standing up as though he could intimidate Jefferson with his admittedly short height. Jefferson traced his movement with a raised eyebrow.

"To the contrary." Alex snapped, glaring. The scene was all too familiar; the door was closed shut, Alex's skin felt warm, and Jefferson's scent had filled the room, heady and intoxicating. "From what I could recall, you were the one looking at me as though you were five seconds away from fucking me against a wall."

Jefferson stared for several seconds, expression impossible to read as his eyes slowly dragged across Alex's face, before finally settling on his lips. A slight smirk curled on his lips and he approached Alex with confident steps. With a lowered, almost husky voice, Jefferson drawled, "Why, I could hardly believe you were uninterested."

"I wasn't interested." Alex lied through his teeth, voice developing an unconvincing, breathy quality. Distantly, Alex knew that he shouldn't have phrased this statement like this; Jefferson was just as competitve as him, and wouldn't back down from a perceived challenge.

Jefferson, however, didn't answer verbally. Instead, he moved closer to Alex, bringing one hand up to cup his cheek and tilt his head so that he would have no choice but to stare up at Jefferson, reminding Alex of how short he was in comparison to him.

Alex seemed to forget how to breathe. He froze, eyes meeting Jefferson's, almost in a dazed trance. Jefferson nearly seemed to be in one of his own, the rough pad of his thumb moving slowly against his lips. Against his will, his breath hitched, color rising to his face.

"For some reason, you haven't quite convinced me." Jefferson mused, voice quiet and rough. Alex shivered, wanting to press closer to Jefferson's warmth but refusing to do so out of pride.

"I don't care about whether you're convinced or not." Alex said, trying to steel his resolve and sound as confident as possible. Jefferson frowned slightly for several seconds, though evidently lost in his own thoughts instead of thinking about what Alex had said.

"I'm staying late." Jefferson stated, calmly assured in himself. "I'm not opposed to company."

Alex blinked. Jefferson, however, wasn't looking for an immediate response, and he moved away from Alex. Almost immediately, Alex mourned the loss, but he kept himself still, warily watching Jefferson as he left.

"That goddamn bastard." Alex said softly, mind reeling from what had just happened. He tried to catch up, but something felt out of synch. He sighed in vexation, raking a hand through his hair. Alex thought about what Jefferson had said - sure, he was sexually frustrated as hell, and sleeping with someone (regardless of who that was) would blow off some steam.

However, this was  _Jefferson._

Alex hated Jefferson more than anyone else, especially since Washington had left and Jefferson replaced him. He couldn't fall back into old habits; god, last time he had started to actually think that he  _could_ -

No, that was stupid. Alex wasn't dumb enough to even begin thinking that again. He was stuck between two equally strong forces - pride and frustration. 

An hour passed, in which Alex was beginning to lean dangerously towards giving in and swallowing his pride. After all, his state of constant agitation was preventing him from doing work. In this situation, he would talk to his friends, but seeing as he hadn't seen Lafayette in months - and that he and Hercules had resorted back to irregular small talk, he had only one option for a different opinion.

"Aaron!" Alex called after his retreating back, being forced to break into a light jog to keep up. Burr turned, surprised, but when he saw that it was Alex, he offered a small wave and stopped his walk until Alex caught up. Alex, not bothering to engage with customary social cues or greetings, stated, "I need your advice."

"My..." Burr trailed off, shaking his head as though he was physically trying to dislodge a thought. "Did you actually just ask me for advice?"

Alex rolled his eyes, giving an impatient nod to let Burr know that he wasn't kidding. Something in Burr seemed to warm at this, and he offered Alex a bright, genuine smile. "You haven't asked for my advice in over fifteen years. Of course, what about?"

At this, Alex grimaced, because - stupidly - he hadn't thought this far ahead. Belatedly, he realised that instead of blindly following his impulsive temperament, he should instead base some thought around it. When Alex's expression changed, as did Burr's; he frowned in concern, gesturing to his office, but Alex shook his head.

"Do you remember what you asked, about a week and a half ago, when we were sorting out the files for the fourth time?" Alex asked in a rush. It took Burr several seconds to understand what Alex was referring to, let alone work out what this insinuated. It was distantly amusing to watch Burr put one and one together. A lightbulb moment occurred when the first piece clicked into place and Burr's eyes lit up with understanding.

However, then there was alarm. Alex felt the odd urge to laugh as Burr's jaw dropped and, with widened eyes, scanned up and down the corridor for any potential intruders. " _Holy shit,_  Alexander, for how long?"

"Not yet, which is why I need your advice." Alex replied steadily. For some reason beyond him, getting Burr to freak the fuck out with him caused him an unusual sense of calm that probably only served to alarm Burr further.

"You know what I'm going to say, Alexander." Burr retorted, not even missing a beat. Alex grimaced, because part of him did know how vehemently Burr would insist that it was a stupid idea. "He hurt you last time-"

"No, he didn't." Alex interrupted, perhaps too sharply. "There weren't any feelings involved."

Burr stared at Alex with such heavy disbelief that for a dwindling moment Alex though it would overcumber him. Instead of continuing his plight, Burr gave a weighted sigh. "Look, even if you don't think of me as a friend, I think of you as one. I want what is best for you but right now, I don't know. I don't all the facts because I don't know  _Jefferson_. It means I can't make a balanced judgement."

"What would be your unbalanced judgement?" Alex asked.

"Do what makes you happy." Burr replied simply.

The advice made Alex give a slight smile. Burr returned it. They walked, barely out of step with eachother, to Peggy's office despite the fact that only one of them needed to go. Burr was content to talk about the supposed South Carolina substitute ( _"Peggy did a lot of Facebook stalking, and I think she said his name was John,"_ ) and Alex was content to listen to Burr gossip despite the fact that he  _truly_  didn't give a flying fuck about that. It felt like before, when Lafayette was in the White House and Hercules was still a tailor's apprentice.

Distantly, he listened to Peggy and Burr chat; Burr was surprisingly talkative in small groups, and knew more gossip than him and Hercules combined. All he could think of was what would happen later that day, and ponder just how fucked he was about to be.

 _(The answer was very, and not in a literal sense._ )

Throughout the day, Alex varied between grim, iron resolve and seconds away from bolting with no grey area. Regardless of how anxious he got, the thought of Jefferson possibly taking his lack of arrival as a victory against Alex's courage was enough to sway him. The only thing worse than restarting this mess with Jefferson was letting the bastard win, regardless of how small and insignificant that win may seem.

His distraction garnered the occasional look of worry from Burr, but he had made up his mind and was going to do this. After saying goodbye to Burr ( _and receiving a presumably unintentionally ominous "stay safe" in return_ ), he stayed in his office for a few more seconds to gather his confidence and put his best foot forward.

Immediately after this, he felt indescribably stupid because this was Jefferson, he didn't need to try and make a good impression. Instead of fussing with appearance, he tensed his jaw and headed to Jefferson's office.

People scarcely stayed behind in work, especially on a Thursday and today was no exception. This fact gave him far more reassurance than before, and instead of knocking as he usually thought himself required to do, he headed in without the social etiquette.

"Back to barging into rooms without permission, Hamilton?" Jefferson drawled, not even glancing upwards at him as he continued to direct his eyes on whatever was in front of him.

"That depends on whether you're back to pretending to focus on work to piss off the occupants of the room." Alex retorted, crossing his arms. At this, Jefferson flashed a quick smile that was over quicker than it begun.

"Some things never change." Jefferson retorted, arching an eyebrow. Alex shrugged in response, not quite sure what to make of this. There was something about being around Jefferson that caused his thoughts to either scatter completely, such as now, or sharpen and become more direct.

For some reason, despite being in this painfully familiar situation, Alex felt far out of his depth. He frowned, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. "So, uh-"

"You're blushing." Jefferson commented helpfully.

"Well, I am about to get fucked, what would you rather me do? Sing a godamn song about it?" Alex retorted indignantly, crossing his arms again. This, for some reason, amused Jefferson.

"If you have one prepared, I won't stop you, though I'd rather you'd get your ass over here and let me find inventive ways to get you to shut up." Jefferson replied, which only caused more heat to rise to Alex's face. Before Jefferson could make another comment about Alex's sheepishness, he crossed the room, moving so that his palms were flat against a smooth desk. He had shifted so that Jefferson would have to actually stand up and leave his desk so that he would stop pretending to work.

This didn't go unnoticed by Jefferson, but instead of a hostile comment, he complied to Alex's non-verbal request. He moved so that he was directly behind Alex, and when Alex turned to face him, hands pressed his against the desk, halting his movements. Jefferson muttered, "If you don't want to do any of this, then you don't have to. Understood?"

Alex pressed his back closer to Jefferson's chest, enjoying the heat and the dizzying scent of masculine cologne that was distinctively Jefferson's. "Understood."

There was a second or so of pause, almost as though Jefferson was checking whether Alex's consent was convincing enough, before lips were pressed against his neck. Alex gave a small sigh, melting against Jefferson as he switched between gentle sucking and rougher bites.

A heavy heat was beginning to coil low in Alex's chest, pulse rapid, and the places that Jefferson touch felt electrified. His thoughts were dissolving quickly into sluggish notices of sensation; all he could direct his attention on was the press of lips on his neck, the feel of a firm chest against his back. He tried to move his hands so that he could touch, but Jefferson didn't let him.

"Getting impatient already?" Jefferson asked against Alex's skin, and Alex could hear the damn smirk he would be wearing. Instead of answering, Alex bit his lips firmly. He knew that Jefferson wanted him to beg, and knowing that Alex was far too prideful to immediately do so probably added to the reason Jefferson liked it.

"Let me touch you." Alex eventually said, heat rising to his face in embarrassment at having to ask.

"I didn't know you were giving orders, Hamilton." Jefferson mused. There was movement behind him, in which Alex was able to move, so he turned to face Jefferson and see what he was doing. Before he could ask any questions, lips were against his own. Alex gave a small, content sigh, pressing his chest flush.

The touch of Jefferson's hand pushing his against the desk felt oddly soft, as though this was something more. A laughable fallacy, but Alex was content to believe in it for now. The kissing was slightly rough, with the occasional bite that never failed to make his breath catch and cock twitch with interest. He put up a slight battle for dominance, since automatic submission wasn't in his nature. However, he quickly accepted defeat when he was lifted onto the desk.

Their lips parted, though Alex kept his eyes shut, breath laboured, and didn't protest when Jefferson moved to stand between his theighs. The hands moved from Alex's own to run up and down his thighs, before settling. "As much as your questionable choice of apparel is endearing, I can't help bit think it's a bit of an obstacle right now."

For once, Alex agreed.

 

 

 

**< <>> <<>> <<>>**

 

 

 

The next day brought a considerably nervous looking Burr to his office. Alex wasn't sure what he was expecting, but upon finding Alex there, he breathed a small sigh of relief. Burr must've sensed that he didn't want to discuss the other night with him, and wisely decided to talk about something else - last time Alex had checked instead of zoning out of the discussion, it was something to do with moths.

After under an hour of talking at Alex, Burr offered a wan smile, sparing a word or so of parting before he left. Despite being a rather social man, Alex needed time on his own to work out what this entire situation meant.

He couldn't let it get like last time. Alex had to stay ahead of himself, because Jefferson wasn't interested in anything more than sex, and Alex could deal with that especially since Jefferson was a damn good lay.

The next weeks passed with a blur of work and pleasure; even if Alex was still unsure of what to do with this predicament, he wasn't going to immediately cancel whatever it was, despite the fact that it might be safer for him.

He was calm enough to keep his thoughts steady and to himself, even managing to avoid badgering Burr for advice. As usual, he was quick to loose track of time, which meant that he easily got the shock of a lifetime when Peggy skittered into his office, and shouted, "I saw him! He's here!"

Alex jumped in surprise, standing up and frowning in bemusement before making sense of what Peggy was saying. "Oh, the replacement."

"Yeah." Peggy looked at him weirdly. She shook her head, raising both eyebrows as though she was suffering by having to deal with Alex. However, the expression soon lightened as she excitedly hurried forward and grabbed onto Alex's arm. "I'm not sure what you're going to think, but goddamn, that boy is  _smoking_!"

"That's very unhealthy for his lungs." Alex retorted, just to see Peggy scoff and throw up her hands with an air of frustration. Alex laughed quietly to himself, since Peggy's disappointment only served to amuse him further.

"Hey, the Alex I know would be charging down that corridor to stare at hot people." Peggy stated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Alex before she eased up and grinned, obviously not meaning what she said. Peggy, however, was right; before meeting Jefferson, he  _would've_. That only caused him to force some interest, and he sped up his stride.

Before crossing the corner, Peggy grabbed his arm, gesturing for him to keep quiet. Alex complied, feeling vaguely ridiculous, and both slowly shifted forwards so that they were able to see the newcomer.

The man had tucked a pale cardboard box under his arm, gesturing idly with the other as he spoke. Alex supposed that the stranger could be considered attractive, but unfortunately, he was focused on the person he was talking to. Jefferson looked his usual self; the (confidence) arrogance carried in the set of his shoulders, a sharp, masculine jawline that Alex wanted to bite against, and bright clothing meant to draw attention that really should clash but somehow didn't.

Fortunately, Peggy mistook him to be staring at the stranger.

"I know his social security number." Peggy whispered. When Alex turned to look at her incredulously, she wiggled her eyebrows, as though a social security number was supposed to be alluring.

"What the fuck?" Alex simply replied.

"I take facebook stalking seriously, Alex." Peggy retorted grimly. "John Laurens, aged thirty-one. He's all yours, because he's gayer than a rainbow."

"The only straight person here is Madison." Alex muttered, shaking his head in bewilderment. Peggy almost laughed but was quickly able to bite it back. She tilted her head like a confused puppy, mouthing the words  _'Isn't Burr straight?_ '. Alex replied with a terse, "I have my doubts."

Peggy coughed loudly to cover up her amused snort, but this unfortunately succeeded in attracting the attention of both Jefferson and the newcomer. Alex tried to subtly play it off, leaning back and dragging Peggy with him, but this didn't work on Jefferson. "Hamilton, bring yourself and your partner in crime with you."

Peggy laughed loudly, before clasping her hands dramatically over her mouth to smother the sound. Sighing heavily, he moved towards the pair, a giggly Peggy in tow. He mused quietly, "I wasn't even that funny."

Peggy calmed down enough to answer with, "I know, I don't know why I'm laughing."

"Hi, I'm John." The man said, offering his left hand, which Alex hesitated sightly to shake. Peggy was busy laughing to focus on formalities, so she was wisely left out of the loop.

"Alex - ander." He hastily added. This was primarily due to both Hercules and Burr preferring to call him by his full name, and it was better to introduce himself with a bit of formality. He pointedly did not look at Jefferson, though he was close enough to start feeling warmth rise to his cheeks despite the fact that he  _wasn't_  a teenager. "This is Peggy Schuyler."

John muttered a greeting to her, which she giggled at, all bashful playfulness. Alex nudged her rather unsubtly but Peggy didn't seem to mind this. John, however, was watching Alex carefully, before making the excuse of needing to put his box into his (Mercer's) new office.

A few seconds passed, in which Peggy overtly watched him leave, and Alex tried to avoid risking a glance at Jefferson. He tried not to think of last night, especially since Peggy was here, but couldn't help his thoughts wandering to how  _good_  it felt.

 _Now is probably not the best time to be thinking of that_. He promptly followed the advice and told his brain to shut the hell up.

"What is your opinion on him?" Jefferson suddenly asked, sounding distantly interested, as though he was merely making the socially required small talk. Alex, who certainly wasn't thinking about John, started slightly.

Peggy, however, gave a bright, beaming grin. "Alex likes his clothes, though he said they'd look better on the floor in his bedroom."

Alex choked on air and whipped around to glower at her. "Peggy, the  _fuck_?" 

"Leave me be." Peggy answered, sounding mildly indignant as though she was the wronged party. "I'm merely telling it as I see it. It's not my fault I can see a future couple."

"I'm backing out of this bullshit." Alex announced, holding his palms out as though he could ward away any contridiction as he slowly backed away. "You have fun with John, Peggy."

"Hamilton, send Burr here. I need someone to show Laurens around." Jefferson instructed, surprisingly not calling Alex out on his swearing. Peggy was soon to offer her own help, but Jefferson merely looked at her.

Alex retrieved Burr from his office, quicky briefing him on the situation  (" _Flirty Peggy, frustrated Jefferson, and a cheerful newcomer_." This was answered with a heavy sigh that sounded suspiciously similar to " _sweet Jesus"_ ). Instead of immediately fleeing back to the refuge of his own office, Alex opted to stay in Burr's office. An hour passed, during which Alex got bored and decided that it was a good idea to write as much of  _the Bee Movie_  script as possible on Burr's whiteboard.

When Burr did return, he did so with a small frown. As soon as he noticed the state of his whiteboard, he huffed, but didn't remove it. Without offering his usually polite Burr-isms, he settled so that his back was resting against the wall. Slowly, as though the words held a deeper meaning, Burr stated. "I don't know what's going on, but Jefferson already hates our new co-worker."

Grimly, Alex asked, "How long do you think he'll last, then?"

"As long as he's useful." Burr replied in an equally pessimistic tone. He sighed heavily, as though there was a weight placed on his chest, before he cautiously sent a sideways glance at Alex. "What did you think of him?"

"I haven't talked to him." Alex shrugged in response. Burr nodded in agreement. At this, they both sat in silence. Alex was comfortable to let it fall and settle, but Burr was watching Alex carefully, as though he was intent on saying something but not quite sure how to phrase it.

For a minute or so, Burr continued to watch for Alex's expressions as though he could deduce the best approach, and Alex pretended he couldn't see Burr do this.

Eventually, the silence cracked, and Burr very hesitantly began, "Alexander, why did - your thing with Jefferson end in the first place?"

Alex didn't answer for several seconds, surprised at how forward Burr was being, before he gave a flat, humorless laugh. "Oh, wow, random, personal question." Alex observed. Burr, however, remained frustratingly silent to the point where Alex felt as though he had to justify himself. With a heavy sigh, he decided that honesty was the best way to redeem himself. Flatly, and without looking at Burr, he stated, "I might've asked him to get more serious with me."

"What happened?" Burr inquired, voice careful, as though Alex was about to snap.

"He was quite clear on the fact that I was nothing more than a fuckbuddy." Alex replied, brusque, his voice seeming more uncaring and matter-of-fact than he knew to be true. He couldn't stand how soft Burr's voice was. Rather wryly, as though he could deflect Burr's attention by injecting some humor, Alex gave a faux frown. "Why, are you thinking about giving the ice prince a go?"

"All I want to know is why Jefferson was complaining about how - and I quote - ' _Laurens couldn't stop gawking at my secretary like some fucking goldfish_ '." Burr retorted dryly, not following the obvious bait Alex had set.

Alex gave a small sigh in response, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't know whether Burr was being truthful but regardless, Laurens appearing in order to replace Mercer didn't change anything. Burr was merely acting paranoid.

Instead of calling him out on it as Alex would usually, he tried to change the subject. Burr didn't jump to the change as he normally did, eyes developing a calculating shine before slowly easing into the discussion. 

The exchange lasted a mere handful of seconds before Alex dismissed himself; this entire situation was causing him to feel disoriented.

Alex slowly walked back to his office, hands shoved in pockets. He felt overwhelmingly tired, as though the world was weighing on his shoulders. He checked his phone, surprised to see that Hercules had messaged back, asking to see him at lunch break.

Alex grinned to himself, and answered in the affirmative. They arranged to meet at one of the cafes they used to frequent before the entire world went to shit, and Alex was spared a rare glimse of the life he had before. Naturally, it wouldn't last, but like the masochist he was, he clung to it.

The hour passed slowly. He informed Burr where he was going, since it had become routine to spend lunch break around eachother as opposed to alone. With a curt nod in response, Alex left. He hurried to the cafe, feeling the odd need to rush in case he missed Hercules, but knew that he was being completely unreasonable. 

He was proven correct when he entered the cafe, and saw Hercules raise a cardboard cup to him in greeting. Alex returned the gesture with a bright smile, making his way over to Hercules and sitting down on the chair opposite.

"Jesus, it's been a while." Hercules commented, though there was a tightness behind his eyes, indicating that their sudden distance wasn't appealing. Alex returned the sentiment, surprised at how awkward he felt. Hercules had been his best friend for seventeen years, it felt wrong to be so on edge.

"Has Lafayette contacted you recently?" Alex asked, though mostly to be polite. He wasn't surprised at the negative response, and as usual, Hercules tried to explain it through Lafayette being busy with work, and different time zones.

The dialogue drifted into work; Hercules discussed how his tailoring career was begining to gain popularity, that his kitchen was about to be renovated. The conversation felt unnerving, as though they were both dancing around the subject of not seeing eachother for roughly a year. So, when Hercules inquired as to what Alex was doing, Alex automatically responded with, "I'm doing the boss."

Hercules choked on his tea. Alex blinked, both startled at Hercules's response and himself for saying that. Eventually, Hercules recovered, eyes watering from the lack of air. "Jesus Christ, again?"

"Might as well." Alex shrugged, taking a casual sip of coffee. It felt good, to be able to discuss this without feeling the need to change his words as he would with Burr. Hercules grinned shaking his head.

"God, your lack of self preservation has remained." He smiled, lightening the blow. Alex gasped in mock hurt, hand over his heart.

"Hey, I resent that." Alex retorted, crossing his arms when Hercules merely huffed in response. It seemed as though, with his outburst, Alex had calmed the awkwardness plaguing them. With a small frown, he gingerly added, "I swear it won't be like last time."

Hercules winced in sympathy, tilting his head slightly to the left as though Alex had said something bewildering. "Just be careful. I don't want you getting hurt again."

"It's harmless." Alex attempted to wave off any concern but failed because he didn't believe himself, either.

Hercules merely gave a pointed look in response, sipping his tea as though he had just made a finalising judgement. With a small sigh, Alex leaned back in his chair slightly, finishing off his coffee and not even grimacing at how quickly he did so. The exchange of goodbyes felt similar, almost as though, this time, it wouldn't be a year until meeting again. Alex hoped so.

Before they walked their separate paths, Hercules told him, "I'm here if you need to talk. Seriously, you have my phone number, and my friends will always be more important than a bunch of suits."

Alex muttered his agreements, mostly a token effort since they both knew he wouldn't.

 

 

**< <>> <<>> <<>>**

 

The routine that he had developed with Jefferson was familiar, almost identical to the one they had maintained before. Jefferson would sporadically call him in, primarily to taunt him but still had a decent reason. Alex wouldn't waver on harsh almost-insults, regardless of the status of their relationship.

Sometimes it felt as though nothing had changed.

Often, it felt as though everything was different and Alex was losing his mind.

When the tension got too much - when Jefferson's stares landed slightly longer than usual, when Alex was beginning to get distracted with certain thoughts - they would fuck it out. There was always a battle of dominance beforehand; Alex would never simply yield to someone, especially Jefferson, and Jefferson was as dominant as Alex was stubborn.

It was usually a test to see who could gain the upper hand over the other, and Alex would never admit that this was a battle he was content to lose.

Afterwards, Alex always left.

Even if he found himself wanting to stay, he didn't allow himself to, deciding firmly that he had better places to be. He decided this was mostly out of self preservation and told the unsettled sense of  _lonliness_  to go and fuck itself.

They never talked about what happened, and Alex was glad for this. He could write better than any, and his speech was articulate, but that was on work matters; in private life, serious discussion always left Alex feeling inept and unsure.

Regardless of Alex's own stance, talking always seemed to frustrate Jefferson, and normally, Alex would be perfectly content to anger the other man as much as possible. With this, it was different and he couldn't afford to stray from slight neutrality and not reveal too much of himself.

( _Not fuck it up, not like last time, a cruel voice in his head whispers. Alex ignores it._ )

Alex wasn't sure why Jefferson had held his interest for so long. The physical attraction was certainly there, at least on Alex's behalf. Jefferson knew that he looked good, and enjoyed showing himself off. He opted for form-fitting shirts that displayed lean, firm muscle and a trim waist that attracted damn near everyone's attention.

This - whatever  _the fuck_  it was - has lasted over two years and Alex is beginning to feel very, very pathetic. His agitation was beginning to subside into more externalized methods; without Jefferson to argue with him, he felt unbearably bored, promptly resulting in Alex being ready to snap at anyone.

However, Alex was fine with trying to reject the growing urge to sort out his thoughts and decide what the best course of action was. He was an  _adult_ , he should be more in control of himself, yet Jefferson was able to make him feel like an immature schoolboy in seconds flat.

His thoughts were interrupted by a light tap at the door. He sighed heavily, and firmly pushed the thing that suspiciously felt like  _hope_  that it was Jefferson.

_Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you, Alex?_

"A lot of things." Alex stupidly answered his own question out loud, then grimaced. Instead of calling the person in, he opened the door, to reveal a rather unfamiliar but smiling face.

"Talking to yourself is one of the first signs of insanity." Laurens cheerfully informed him, despite the undertones of confusion. Alex huffed a small laugh, opening the door to his office a bit wider so that Laurens could step in. He did so with slight hesitation, peering around the room as though it held deeper insight.

"You'd be insane if you had to put up with Burr all day." Alex retorted, watching Laurens carefully. It wasn't as though he didn't trust any newcomers, but Laurens was a stranger and Alex didn't know him.

Laurens laughed brightly, leaning against a wall. The fact that he didn't know Alex hardly fazed him, and he seemed completely relaxed in Alex's company. "God, you can say that again. He's capable of saying ' _um_ ' for every second word. It's like he hates everyone."

"He likes people, but doesn't like talking to them." Alex shrugged, picking up on the slight strain to his voice and assessing it to be the extroverted part of Laurens wanting to be friends with as many people as possible. Burr had taken months to start a conversation with him when they had first met but was promptly dissuaded by Alex's abrasive nature. "He doesn't trust anyone."

"You have to achieve  _Friendship Level Three_  to unlock Burr's backstory." Laurens added in deadpan, which caused Alex to grin in agreement. "Look, I have to go and get some papers from Lee. It was nice talking to someone normal."

"Have fun with Lee, Laurens." Alex replied in lieu of a parting. Laurens merely snorted, evidently disagreeing, and closed the door lightly on his way out.

The silence returned to his office.

He wasn't sure what to make of this interaction other than Burr's ineptitude at social etiquette. The boredom promptly hurdled back to Alex.

He counted up to ten, then back down out of something to do. Then, when he decided that this course of action was fruitless, he constructed a small tower of pens and pencils before accidentally knocking the desk and watching as his work unravelled before his eyes.

Alex couldn't even be bothered to care at this, leaving the mess of stationary as it was. For reasons beyond him, he could feel an underlying tension; as though  _something_ was about to happen but he couldn't predict when. Whether this was intuition or paranoia, Alex couldn't be sure, but it was distracting as hell, making the work day crawl by.

Nothing was in place to distract Alex and keep himself from thinking of things he'd rather not. His interactions with Burr felt clipped and vaguely wrong, like an unnamed factor was firmly out of place.

The most he could gather from today was that he needed to blow off some steam.

The tension beginning to coil in his chest was unpleasant, and needed to be dislodged. Until then, Alex knew he would resume being unproductive and frustrating even himself.

Trying to ignore gow this oddly felt like defeat, Alex slowly walked to Jefferson's office. There were several pauses of hesitation, in which Alex considered turning back without a second glance. Instead, he swallowed against anxiety and tapped the door.

"In." Jefferson's voice was uninterested. Cautiously, he obeyed the command, gritting his teeth at both the fact that Jefferson felt entitled enough to use the same sharp tone with anyone and at the fact that some small part of him  _enjoyed_  the dominance that he exerted.

He squared his shoulders slightly when Jefferson's gaze slid onto him. There was a second or so of unguardedness; Jefferson seemed to temporarily favor looking at his lips, before he seemed to catch hold of himself. Then, he lazily leaned back, crossing his arms. "Business or pleasure?"

"What do you think?" Alex bit out, feeling irritated at the entire situation.

Jefferson tilted his head slightly, regarding Alex with an almost appraising expression. Alex returned this with a glare. Quietly, Jefferson stood up from his desk, looking at Alex as though he was issuing a challenge.

"Hands against my desk." Jefferson ordered, voice smooth and dark. Alex shivered at the sound of it, but tried to draw his control together and hide his reactions. Trying not to flush, Alex complied. There was a pause in which Jefferson watched him, seemingly satisfied with his reluctant submission. With a slight smirk curling onto soft lips, Jefferson added, "Spread your legs."

Alex couldn't halt the color rising rapidly to his face, nor the slight hitch in his throat. He obeyed, pulse faster than he cared to acknowledge. Jefferson moved so that he was behind Alex, hips grinding slowly against Alex's ass. Feeling a flush of embarrassment rise to his face, he pressed back against the movements.

This caused Jefferson to give a low chuckle. "Impatient little slut, aren't you?"

"Fuck off." Alex muttered, though the breathy quality of his voice took away any bite. Jefferson didn't respond, opting instead to push against Alex's back until his chest was flush against the cool desk. The position was humiliating, yet this didn't stop the low stir of arousal.

"Look at you, Hamilton." Jefferson drawled, hot breath brushing against the nape of his neck. "Blushing like a virgin, bent over my desk and begging for my cock."

"I'd hardly call this begging." He retorted, wanting to provoke Jefferson into doing something that wasn't the measured, controlled grinding. He wanted to abate the tension clawing at him, pressuring for release.

There was a pause, in which Jefferson considered his words. Then, without much warning, Alex felt his belt become undone, trousers barely lowered but enough for his cock to twitch with interest. With one hand pressed to keep Alex's chest against the desk, Jefferson began to palm Alex's cock lightly, with enough friction and heat to get half hard but not enough to get any satisfaction.

The movement of Jefferson's hips matched those of his palms, sending Alex's thoughts in a spiralling rush of lust and need. Jefferson's hand moved to free Alex's cock, before giving a few almost experimental strokes. Alex gasped in response, biting down on his lip to keep himself from making any noise. The friction increased to Alex attempting to hold back moans and gasps, but primarily failing.

"What do you want?" Jefferson asked, voice nearly husky. Alex didn't heaitate to answer.

"Fuck, I can't-" Alex's words were interrupted with him giving a helpless moan at the skillful increase of speed. He tried to gain his bearings, but was only able to pant out, "Fuck me, please, I need-"

"Need?" Jefferson asked. His tone was mocking, though at Alex's words he could feel a change of pace, as though Jefferson was beginning to get impatient himself.

"Just fuck me instead of feeding your stupid ass superiority complex." He said through gritted teeth. Surprisingly, Jefferson gave a slight laugh, which only served to irk Alex further. Instead of calling Alex out on his insults, Jefferson pulled back. The click broke through the sound of laboured breath. After a few seconds of wait, Alex could feel a slick finger press against his hole.

He inhaled sharply, blood pounding and mind a foggy haze. It was uncomfortable, yet Jefferson didn't rush; he seemed to have enough control over himself to move slowly, allowing Alex a few minutes to adjust before adding a second finger. Alex levelled his breathing as much as possible, slowly getting used to the sensation of being filled.

Then Jefferson crooked his fingers and for a moment Alex's vision turned white.

He wasn't aware of the words he was speaking at a rapid pace, entirely preoccupied with pleasure and how good it felt. Vaguely, he could hear his own voice - " _Fuck, Thomas, please,"_  - but words had lost meaning. He allowed the haze of lust to cover his mind.

It was both too much and not enough; his chest was pressed against a cool desk, contrasting against the heat of his skin and making him shiver. Thomas was behind him, fucking Alex with his fingers to the point where he could only be described as a quivering mess.

Every second movement brushed against his prostate, the action precise and distinctly teasing; Thomas had always taken joy in seeing Alex reduced to whimpering and pleading. When a third finger was added, Alex could do nothing more than let out a shaky moan, nails scraping at smooth wood for purchase but failing.

"You beg so prettily, Alex." Thomas muttered, voice seemingly strained and lowered almost to a growl. Alex couldn't stop the way he shivered at the praise, thighs trembling. "I've thought about fucking you against my desk for so long, making you come undone."

His cock was fully erect, precome beginning to spill from the tip, and he felt so fucking  _close_ -

Thomas paused. He pressed a closed mouth kiss against Alex's neck, removing his fingers with a slick slide. Alex sucked in a shuddering breath, feeling himself clench at the loss. Thomas muttered gentle reassurances, hand pressed against the small of his back. Alex could hear the telling rip of a condom wrapper, and he tensed, senses hightened in anticipation. Thomas seemed to pick up on his apprehension and he ordered, "Breathe."

Alex complied. Everything felt blurry and lost in a heady haze, but Thomas was firmly anchoring him down with his touch and voice. He bit down sharply on his lip, trying to control his ragged breathing. He could hear the sharp snap of a lube bottle opening, then the slick sound of lubrication.

Alex felt color rise to his face even as his cock hardened. He couldn't stop his imagination from conjuring the image of Thomas immediately behind him, hand wrapped over his own cock and working himself slowly, teasing himself. His heart was a quick hammer in his chest, ember-hot arousal coiling in his stomach and his breathing laboured.

Warm hands glided up either side of Alex's waist, the touch oddly comforting. His breath hitched in his throat, causing Thomas to remind him to breathe again.

As soon as Alex followed the order, Thomas slowly eased into him. The pressure felt sudden despite the preparation beforehand, but felt so damn  _good_  that Alex's groan was choked, as though there was a firm restriction around his throat. He felt his muscles tense, causing Thomas to give a rough moan.

The hands against his waist were frozen, slowly increasing their grip, and Alex was sure that there would be bruising later but right now he didn't care. Thomas was still in control, always checking to make sure that Alex was breathing and wasn't in too much pain. The pleasure of feeling full mixed with the pain of being pressed open were in a unseperable, delicious blend

He gasped, trying to press back and get a better angle, to push Thomas's cock further in him. However, Thomas had held his back down, not allowing him to do so. When Thomas was fully seated in Alex, he remained frustratungly still. Logically, Alex knew that it was to allow him to adjust. He rested his forehead against the desk, panting against the wood.

It felt as though Thomas was everywhere, his hands moving to trace around his back and glide over his neck. One of Thomas's hands pressed against Alex's mouth, silencing him before he could talk.

Then, he moved back and snapped his hips forward, pressing directly against Alex's prostate and promptly making him see stars. Distantly, despite Thomas attempting to mute him, he could hear his own shout, a desperate mixture between a cry of pain and ecstasy.

"Anyone could walk in on you like this." Thomas hissed, low and dirty. Alex quivered, heart in his throat as Thomas snapped his hips. The sounds he made were close to screaming, lips bitten red and cock leaking. He needed more friction, needed something to push him over the edge. Thomas wrapped his hand around Alex's cock, moving in time with his hips, fast and rough. "They'll see you as the whore you are, as my filthy slut. Do you want that?"

The hand clasped over his mouth lifted to rest against his neck, a light pressure to assert dominance but not painful. Alex allowed the touch, and he gasped out, "Yes, Thomas - I'm yours, fuck me-"

Thomas gave a wordless growl, hands placed either side of Alex's head. His chest was pressed close against his back, each thrust of his hips forcing whimpers from his throat. Thomas's skillfull hand increased in speed. He could feel a low moan building in his throat, back arched. He could feel his balls tighten, hands clenched in fists.

Alex came, shouting out Thomas's name. He tensed as his orgasm hit, causing Thomas to inhale sharply, following soon after Alex with a soft moan.

The silence that followed was filled with laboured breathing. Alex could feel that he was trembling, the tide of pleasure rolling over him. He felt too warm, his shirt stuck to his back. There was a minute or so of recovery, in which Alex allowed himself to relax in the afterglow, enjoying the weight of Thomas on his back.

Then, Thomas was moving back, pulling back. He could hear the snap of a condom being removed, but he was far too tired to care what was happening. The satisfaction was bone deep, making him completely pliant.

Shakily, he pushed himself upwards, breathing heavily. He grimaced when he saw his come splattered against his shirt and chest. He grimaced in distaste, feeling a dull flush of embarrassment rise to his cheeks. He tried to pull back the rest of his dignity, pulling up his trousers and fastening his belt.

Quietly, he unbuttoned his shirt; even if this made him feel exposed but he couldn't walk around with his shirt looking like that. He turned, eyeing the red marks against his stomach. "Urgh, I'm going to be sore for days after this, you bastard." Alex groaned, one hand resting against his stomach where he had been pressed against the desk.

Thomas turned, following where Alex's gaze was. He smirked, looking vaguely pleased, as though he truly didn't give a fuck. He brushed his hand against Alex's. "You can't go home like that."

Alex rolled his eyes. He fetched his blazer from where it had been discarded against the floor and hugged it close to his chest. "I don't think people are going to faint at the sight of me."

Thomas didn't contridict him, instead he moved to his desk, eyes gliding over where Alex had been. Alex could've sworn he saw Thomas's eyes darken just barely, but he quickly dismissed it. A white shirt was thrown at him.

Alex caught it instinctively before frowning, raising an eyebrow. "Who the fuck takes a spare shirt to work?"

Thomas looked at Alex as though he was incredibly stupid. "What am I supposed to do if someone comes into work with the same shirt that I have?"

"You're kidding." Alex said flatly.

"Yes, but I'm disappointed to see how quickly you believed it." Thomas retorted, arching an eyebrow. His gaze was more focused than usual. Occasionally, Alex could see that his eyes swept low against his throat, where he had bitten a mark, but other than that, there was no indication of what had happened.

For some reason, this frustrated Alex. He felt a dull flush color his cheeks as he put on Thomas's shirt. It was several sizes to large for him, the scent of it distinctively Thomas's, and damn if that didn't feel more intimate than having sex with him.

He tried to ignore this thought. "I didn't know you knew that normal colors existed."

Thomas ignored him. Alex wasn't surprised. Instead of awkwardly pulling at the sleeves like he wanted to, he put his blazer on, feeling vaguely guilty at how good the shirt felt on him.

The silence fell and stayed. Alex was busy fussing with his appearance, retying his hair and looking anywhere but Thomas, and Thomas was staring unflinchingly at Alex.

"You never stay like you used to." Thomas commented, almost offhandedly, causing Alex to freeze. His blood seemed to cool as though shards of ice had been injected.

"There's no point." Alex lied, keeping his eyes fixed on his blazer. He glanced up at Thomas, which was a mistake. Thomas seemed completely relaxed, eyes softened and a lazy smile on his face that Alex wanted to kiss. His eyes must've lingered on Thomas's lips for too long, as there was suddenly a smug element added to it. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He backed away. "I'm going to go."

Thomas didn't seem to care.

He hurried back to his apartment, his thoughts still a mess of what it felt like to be held down by Thomas, and how Thomas pressed his lips against his throat in a tender way.

He fell asleep with one thought on his mind, and that was that he had made the same mistake twice.

 

 

 

**< <>> <<>> <<>>**

 

 

 

_It was in moments like this, after they had slept together, that Alex cherished more than anything else. It was when Thomas's indifferent exterior softened, and he pulled Alex into his arms, whispering soft praise._

_Alex melted against his chest, hand finding Thomas's and resting it across his chest, over his heart. There was something dizzying about this type of closeness._

_"You're thinking too loudly." Thomas muttered against his skin, the traces of a smile in his voice. "You should stop doing that, it's bad for your health."_

_"Why, Thomas, I didn't know you cared." Alex retorted, trying to bite back his grin but ultimately failing. This was a time where it felt as though it was just them; there were no politics involved, no tense negotiating or randsom. It was a moment when Alex felt wanted, as though their arrangement was so much more than that._

_Thomas gave a soft chuckle, resting his chin against Alex's shoulder. "Who would I argue with if you weren't there? Nobody's as constantly pissed off as you are."_

_"Hey, I object to that." Alex retorted, though he was actually offended._

_Thomas huffed a laugh. His breath brushed against the nape of his neck, sending a flutter in his chest. He didn't speak, allowing a soft silence to settle as gentle as freshly fallen snow._

_With resounding clarity, he knew he was content to stay like this forever._

  

 

 

**< <>> <<>> <<>>**

 

 

 

He awoke five minutes before his alarm. With a small groan, he rolled on his side, intent on going back to sleep. The winter had arrived and disrupted his natural sense on what time it was by darkening the morning and shortening hours of sunlight. This meant that Alex always faced far greater reluctance when waking. He allowed himself to relax for the remainder of the minutes, dreading the moment when his alarm would finally errupt in a shrill shriek.

When his phone rang, he resisted his gut instinct to descend into a hulk-like anger and hurl his phone across the room. Alex refrained from doing so, however, and groggily pressed the reject button.

He was graced with ten seconds of blissful silence, in which his mind cut pleasantly blank, before his phone rang again. Alex groaned loudly in agitation, rolling on his side and squinting at the offendingly bright screen. He waited a few seconds, as though the phone would suddenly shut up, but had no such fortune. Alex didn't note the name on the screen as he tapped answer.

" _What_?" Alex seethed.

"Call in sick." Burr's voice came over the phone, rushed and cheerful. Alex blinked, unable to place the words to Burr for a handful of moments. When he did, however, he glared at the shadowy ceiling, trying to swallow against his sudden burst of resentment. 

"Fuck off." Alex huffed, sounding more tired than actually annoyed, and he scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. Burr gave a put-out sigh, and Alex could imagine the way he would be crossing his arms, looking down at the phone as though it had done something immensely disappointing. 

"You need a day off for rest." Burr retorted, surprisingly not letting up. "Both of us do."

"I'll rest when I'm dead." Alex retorted. He focused on dismissing the alarm before it came up, feeling as though he hadn't slept at all. Rather vendictively, he muttered a few choice words under his breath, not caring if Burr heard him.

"The drinks are on me?" Burr hesitantly tried, which caused Alex to give a snort of amusement. The last time Burr had bought him a drink, Alex had been told to shut up. "Look, Alex, it'll just be for one day, and a break for both of us."

Alex sighed. "Make it two drinks and I'm sold."

Burr readily agreed.

Alex hung up his phone, rolling onto his side and promptly falling back asleep.

He hadn't realised how tired he was. He was soon blessed with a light, dreamless sleep, and woke two hours later, when a thin sliver of light was cast against the adjacent between his carpet and wall. A few seconds of confusion followed, in which he checked his phone call history to assure that he hadn't hallucinated Burr's call.

He sighed when he discovered that he didn't.

Alex didn't call sick. Even though the chances of Jefferson picking up the phone were astronomically slim, there was no way in hell he was going to risk it. Instead, he opted to send Madison an email, with ambiguous lies that he was sure everyone could see straight through.

It allowed him time to enjoy the morning. He was able to wander his house, wearing casual jeans and a t-shirt for once instead of the constant need for formal wear. Instead of rushing around the rooms, he took the rare liberty to slowly sip at his coffee, marvelling at how similar it tasted to battery acid but not caring.

Burr texted him an address to arrive at upon a later time and, idly, he noted it. He was surprised at himself for his willingness to take his time and even skip a day of work. He took a sip of coffee, leaning to rest against his counter before wincing. His ass ached slightly but thankfully not overwhelming. Mostly out of curiosity, he walked towards the nearest mirror, baring his neck for better view.

Unfortunately, it looked as though Alex had been attacked by a horny vampire. He glared at his reflection, fingers tracing the hickey high against his throat.

Alex would bet good money on the fact that Jefferson had positioned it just so it was too high to be hidden by his collar and Alex simply refused to wear a turtleneck. He didn't like how a small, almost primal part of him let a pleased hum at the marks.

At least it was winter.

Alex pointedly took a scarf. It was the one Hercules had made him, with green and blue wool, and still fit snugly around him. He didn't bother adjusting his appearance, and headed down to  _The Red Coats_  cafe.

The walk was relatively short - only five minutes - and he walked at a brisk pace, not particularly keen in standing outside, especially when he was supposed to be sick. When he entered, he quickly found that Burr wasn't alone.

He was nursing a cup of coffee, keeping a close eye on a young girl with a precarious balance of marshmallows and whipped cream in what was probably once a decent hot chocolate. She was talking cheerfully to Burr, in the roundabout manner most children equipped, poking at her drink.

As soon as Burr noticed him, he waved. The girl looked up, before she too, waved at him. Rather awkwardly, he shuffled forwards, quite unsure of what to do. He immediately decided that half of his vocabulary was inappropriate to use around a young child.

"Alexander, this is Theodosia, my daughter." Burr greeted warmly, seemingly content with the entire situation. "Doe, this is Alex, a work friend."

Theodosia looked at him, round eyes peering inquisitively at his face, before she offered her hand. Alex blinked, quite unsure of how to react, but when Burr looked pointedly at him, he shook her hand. "Good morning, Miss Burr."

Theodosia grinned brightly at him and Alex found himself cautiously returning it. He wasn't sure why, but young children made him anxious. Burr sensed this and offered him a slight smile. "She said she had a headache. Then, immediately after I called her school, she miraculously recovered."

Alex snorted. Theodosia looked completely unrepentant, staring up at her father with innocent eyes. Burr sighed, though Alex could tell that he truthfully wasn't fazed by the turn of events. Theodosia blinked at Alex, before whispering something to Burr.

Burr looked at Alex, then at Theodosia. He made a slight gesture, but at Theodosia's vehement, non-verbal rebuttal, he gave Alex a slight smile. "Doe says she likes your hair."

"Really?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. Theodosia looked at him, unsure, before she gave a hasty nod.

"It's pretty." She offered, before gingerly adding, "Like a pony."

Alex decided to take this as a compliment. He smiled at Theodosia, who seemed to have inherited her father's social skills and promptly started paying attention to the drink in front of her.

"She's just a bit shy around strangers." Burr needlessly informed him. Alex muttered his agreement, anxious to start a conversation and dance around how awkward it felt to be forced to interact with a child. "How was yesterday?"

"Not PG." Alex informed him. Burr's eyes widened in understanding, and he nodded his head, showing that they shouldn't press the topic. Burr glanced conspicuously at the scarf, tilting his head slightly. With a sigh and an eye roll, Alex removed it.

Burr laughed loudly, then clasped his hand over his mouth. Theodosia looked up at him, frowning, before she resumed whatever she was doing. "Alex. It looks like you've played paintball in a neon suit."

Alex snorted. "Such a supportive friend."

"Sorry." Burr apologized, once again drawing the attention of his daughter. This time, it was harder to shake off. Burr explained, "Alex is complaining about a silly boy."

"Like Phillip?" Theodosia asked.

"Like Phillip." Burr confirmed, taking a long sip of his coffee and looking at Theodosia in warning when she tipped her drink dangerously, but thankfully didn't spill. At Alex's confused expression, Burr sighed. "Another five-year-old in Doe's class."

Indignantly, and scrunching up her face, she stated, "He's a  _boy_. He always steals my crayons when  _I'm_  using them."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at the sheer conviction in her voice. This caused Theodosia to whip her body around, fixing him with a steely glare that made Alex want to laugh harder. Instead, he poorly disguised it as a cough, and thanked the world at large for the typical naivety of a child. Once he regained control, he exclaimed, "Your  _crayons_? Oh no. Did you tell a teacher?"

Theodosia paused in consideration before smiling brightly at Alex. "After I broke his glasses."

"Theodosia, you shouldn't be happy with what happened." Burr admonished smoothly, shooting a look of caution at Theodosia.

"He shouldn't be mean." Theodosia retorted, crossing her arms. Alex got the feeling that this was a tired routine. "He should be nice to me, and then I won't break his glasses."

"Is it serious?" Alex asked quietly. Burr gained a pained expression, as though he truly didn't want to say the answer. At Alex's words, Theodosia sat straigher, paying attention to the answer.

"Sometimes, when a boy likes you, he acts mean because he doesn't know how else to act." Burr began cautiously, leaving his words purposefully light. Theodosia scoffed, throwing up her hands before looking slightly guilty at the frown her father gave in response. Slowly, Burr added in a firm voice, "It certainly doesn't excuse him being unkind, and boys have no right to act like that. However, you can't just get into fights with them."

"What if they start it?" Theodosia challenged, slightly petulant. It was obvious that Burr was torn between encouraging good behaviour and the paternal instinct to protect his child no matter what.

"We should talk to a teacher before getting into a fight, especially since are going to be more boys like Philip." Burr said gently. Quietly, and in French, he quickly added, " _And you can break all of their glasses, too_." 

Alex couldn't stop the amused quirk to his lips. Theodosia seemed slightly put out at the language shift, but she sighed, taking a short sip of her drink before recoiling as it was too warm.

"How are you?" Burr asked. He kept the majority of his attention on his daughter, but still occasionally glanced over at Alex. Despite his distraction, Alex could tell that Burr was being genuine.

"I think I've messed up again." Alex replied tersely, deciding to watch what the other customers were doing instead of Burr.  _The Red Coats_  was damn near isolated, though the conversation around them was an indistinguishable lull of different voices.

"You don't have to continue." Burr replied. He seemed to guess that Alex didn't want eye contact, and softened his voice. "Alexander, you can stop whenever you want."

"I know." Alex sighed. He tapped his hands against the table, following the pattern of smoothed plastic wth his eyes. Truthfully, he knew that he wasn't going to stop. He didn't have enough self control, and was far too indulgent with himself. The arrangement with Jefferson held no exception.

Burr gave a dubious hum, as though he didn't quite believe Alex but was willing to drop the subject. The conversation was mostly kept light yet Alex didn't mind; a normal conversation with someone outside of work felt like a godsend. Burr seemed to agree. 

When Theodosia had temporarily left to order more hot chocolate for herself (and was cautiously watched by Burr), Burr gave a slight sigh. "I'm glad you agreed, even if I demanded that you lie to our boss. I don't get outside much."

"Lonely?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sometimes." Burr admitted, still watching Theodosia interact with the barista. "She's too young to be left in her own, and I don't particularly trust babysitters. It's been a few years since I've been able to talk to another adult out of a formal setting."

Alex winced in sympathy. Burr didn't seem particularly upset at the situation, content to raise his daughter and sacrifice his social life. Alex couldn't help but be slightly impressed; Burr rarely had firm stances on things, but it appeared that when it came to his daughter, he would fight to hell and back. "Adults are rubbish."

"You have no idea." Burr replied grimly. He shook his head, lowering his tone significantly as he watched his daughter exchange money. "The amount of people that give me shit because I'm a single father..."

"I'll fight them for you." Alex immediately replied. Burr suddenly gained a stern look, akin to the one he had fixed Theodosia with when she expressed pride at breaking someone's glasses.

"You are thirty six, Alexander. Far too old to start fights over  _words_." Burr reprimanded, crossing his arms. His stance lightened slightly when Theodosia rejoinded the table, carefully balancing her mug. Burr noticed this immediately, and took the mug from Theodosia's hands. "Careful, you don't want to get hot water on you."

Theodosia nodded, looking incredibly determined as she took her place at the table. The discussion drifted between cautious attempts at stepping around the subject of work and allowing meaningless smalltalk to form. Theodosia would occasionally comment, still slightly wary of Alex but far more relaxed. When Alex decided it was time for him to leave, he got goodbyes from both Burrs - Aaron was between formal and friendly, whereas Theodosia stumbled over the pronouncement of his name (" _Goodbye, Salamander,_ ").

As soon as he stepped out, he noted the time, realising that he had spent roughly half the day with Aaron and his daughter. He took care to adjust his scarf, making sure it was fastened around his neck, before he walked home. Instead of using the more efficient route, he headed around the outskirts of a park, lengthening the walk home.

Sometimes Alex didn't like his house.

It felt like there was too much space for one man; originally, he had bought it in the hopes of finding someone to settle down with. He had gained a passing interest in Eliza, one that she seemed to reciprocate, but he never perused. Jefferson was still a distraction, holding most of his attention with a few words in a voice that constantly sounded as though things were better off left in the bedroom.

Other times, like this, he was glad for the space. It allowed him freedom to do as he pleased, the need for being courteous to a partner non-existent. He was welcomed into the silence, feeling his shoulders relax. He checked his laptop, finding a terse reply from Madison accepting his flimsy excuse, obviously not believing him but uncaring enough to accept it. 

He sorted through the more menial tasks that adulthood presented him. The normalcy of this washed over him, and even if it was certainly tiresome, it required no thought, and sometimes Alex liked not having to think. The afternoon soon fell, casting golden hues against his floor and walls. He felt himself relax, enjoying the soft glow of the sun, and didn't even notice when he fell asleep on his couch.

The next day, he woke up eariler than usual. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings together, before the events of yesterday clicked into his memory. He stretched his back, poorly stiffling a yawn, muscles lax and eyes heavy.

He quickly got himself prepared for the day, showering and changing into clean clothes. He noted Jefferson's shirt, folded neatly and resting on top of some draws, but after some consideration, opted to leave it behind.

This time, he actually caught his bus, which both surprised him and needlessly caused him a sense of slight optimism. Mind distracted on formless subjects, he checked his phone, surprised to see two of them from Burr.

One was an acknowledgement at forgetting to purchase drinks for Alex, and the other was a warning. As soon as he read it, he huffed, good mood diffusing into thin air. Alex wondered if it was a subconscious attempt to spare him from frustration before it exasperated into a headache; however, regardless of what was going on, all he knew was that he had a cabinet meeting that he wasn't certain how to act in.

The last meeting, Alex had survived relatively unscathed; Jefferson might dislike Alex and all he stood for, but he also disapproved of idiots on his own side aiming too personally at Alex. This seemed vaguely hypocritical, he supposed, though there was always a certain double-standard between him and Jefferson. Alex would bite out comments that he normally wouldn't think of saying to someone else, and in retribution, Jefferson would reply with Alex's known delicate subjects, namely his parentage. 

Jefferson, though, was now president. They weren't able to argue like they used to, and Alex  _missed_  that. Despite his insults, Jefferson was the only opponent to provide relevant gaps in Alex's arguments, allowing him room for improvement. Recently, however, it felt as though it was just him, Burr and Peggy backed into a corner whilst Lee and Conway patted eachother on the backs.

He still argued, but it was boring. It felt like trying to debate with Seabury; instead of underlining the values of their ideas, they would repeat their points like a deranged parrot to the point where Alex wanted to throw his hands up and walk out.

At least Burr, being relatively neutral, was always able to comment on both sides with an even mind. This trait was mirrored by both Madison and Jefferson. Alex was surprised by the fact that Jefferson rarely chose extremes, opting a more diplomatic solution that could appease both political parties.

He trudged into the White House, hands in pockets, and didn't bother trying to interact with security. He knew that their apathetic demeanour was not a reflection of his character, but rather, theirs; the job was pretty shit, Alex supposed, and boring, especially when having to put up with Lee on a daily basis.

He made his way to his office with no interruption. Burr was waiting for him, as the norm, but was wearing a small frown. He gestured vaguely to his neck. It took Alex a few seconds to identify the action, but when he did, blood rushed to his face and he clasped at his own neck.

"It's better than yesterday." Burr was quick to appease, though Alex wasn't entirely convinced. "I mean, it's pretty obvious as to what it is, but-"

"Aaron, you're  _really_  not helping." Alex interrupted. He entered his office, willing the warmth in his face to go down, but to little avail. He was able to inspect his neck with the lense from his camera, fingers tracing over a particularly prominent mark.

It wasn't as bad as he had expected. Not particularly noticable, but certainly not invisible. In moments like these, he was glad he didn't have paler skin that would highlight the marks against his skin.

"See? Not that bad." Burr offered. Alex glared at him before letting it up, giving a tired sigh as he readjusted his collar to hide the majority of it. He pinched the bridge of his nose, wanting nothing more than to head back home and not appear for a week or so.

"When's the meeting?" Alex instead asked, deciding that the sooner he got this over with, the better. Burr seemed to disagree, and he gave an almost imperceptible wince.

"About five minutes."

" _Effort_." Alex complained loudly. Burr was often a brick wall when it came to expressing emotions but Alex could sense the slight amusement. He shot him a fierce glower, which didn't dissuade Burr from grinning at him. After a few seconds of giving Burr his most unimpressed look, he lead the way outside of his office and to the meeting area, dragging his feet only slightly. 

Burr didn't comment on his arguably childish display of reluctance, matching his pace with a few measured steps. "At least this meeting is about reaffirming alliances."

"France is still pissed off with us for backing out of trading deals." Alex retorted. "This isn't going to be fun."

"It never is." Burr replied with a shrug, seemingly ending the conversation as they approached the cabinet room. From the outside, Alex could hear the mutters of seveal people who had arrived early, though there were no distinct voices. After exchanging grim looks of resolute with Burr, he led the way inside, trying to control his expressions.

Peggy, to no surprise, was trying to lure Laurens into a conversation that didn't seem to be getting anywhere. As soon as she noticed Alex and Burr enter, she exclaimed loudly, "Oh! There he is!"

Alex automatically knew that Peggy was attempting to be a matchmaker. He scowled, trying to persuade Peggy not to try and drag him over to the newcomer, but Peggy didn't particularly care. Burr trailed after them, looking vaguely lost.

"Good morning." Alex offered to Laurens.

Peggy never looked prouder in her life.

"Good morning." Laurens replied, giving him a slight smile that Alex returned. Peggy clapped her hands loudly, pleased at something, and proceeded to rope Burr into what seemed like an awkward conversation from both parties.

"I'm sorry about her." Alex shoot an overt glance at Peggy, trying to channel how unimpressed he was at her attempts. Peggy, naturally, pretended that she couldn't pick up in his glare. "She's alarmingly stubborn."

"I've heard that you are, too." Laurens offered a slight grin. Alex wasn't offended at this; there was no point in trying to pretend he wasn't unflinchingly stubborn. Instead, he shrugged, glancing this time at Burr, surprised to see that he was slowly beginning to ease into the conversation. "I guess, with this meeting, we'll see."

Alex gave a slight grimace. 

 _Right, the cabinet meeting_.

He wasn't particularly looking forward to that. The conversation that filtered around the room was generally relaxed. As soon as an uneasy silence filled the room, Alex could tell that Jefferson had entered. He gritted his teeth, trying to remain calm despite the fact that it was expected of him to stand for Jefferson if he entered. The only comfort he was afforded is that Peggy - and, surprisingly, Burr - were equally reluctant to do so.

Alex could feel Jefferson's eyes on him, drifiting across his face, before settling against his neck. There was a heavy sort of knowledge to the almost unnoticeable curl to Jefferson's lips. Alex did his best to keep his glare subtle.

Somehow, the rest of the cabinet hasn't noticed the silent interaction, focused on their own thoughts, and Alex was grateful for this. Jefferson walked past them, taking his seat and Madison joined him to his left. In a light drawl, "You may be seated."

The room complied.

Alex felt restless. He could hear Madison introduce the topic in his clear precise way, but all he was able to think of was how close Jefferson seemed to be. Burr, who was sat to his left, nudged him, promptly jolting him back to his thoughts.

"You need to focus." Burr muttered, which caused Alex to flush brightly. Thankfully, Charles Lee had opted to follow after the opening statement, cramming out his words in such a sycophantic manner it was a wonder he didn't land himself in trouble.

Surprisingly, Alex had come to learn that Jefferson valued dignity and sincerity, not whatever the fuck Lee was trying to do. Burr nudged him again, this time whispering, "Don't look now, but you've got his attention."

Alex already knew that.

He had held Jefferson's attention as soon as Jefferson came into the room, for reasons beyond Alex. His hand automatically went to his neck, adjusting his collar and pressing against the mark. Burr gave a worried frown in response, which caused Alex to immediately notice what he was doing and quickly recoiled.

This now gained the attention of Madison.

"Alex-" Burr began.

"I know." Alex hissed. He tried to tune into whatever Lee was rambling about, barely able to process and apply two decent retorts to Lee's last point. Chances are, if both Jefferson and Madison noticed how distracted he was, Alex was going to get called out.

He was proven correct when Jefferson asked, "Anything to add to this statement, Hamilton? You did seem rather  _vocal_  with Burr during the discussion."

At the mention of his name, Burr seemed to shrink in on himself, the tips of his ears turning a flaming red. Alex blinked, trying to place the reason for Jefferson bringing Burr into this. He nudged Burr lightly to show his solidarity before starting the discussion of why Charles Lee was full of shit, but using better words.

By the end of his pseudo-speech, Lee was glaring at the table, lips thinned and looking both sheepish and vengeful. His words were weaker than usual, on the account that he hadn't paid any attention, and Jefferson picked up on this. However, he abstained from comment, merely arching an eyebrow in response to show that it hadn't gone unnoticed.

The attention was directed to Jenkins, someone that was near a stranger to Alex, who proposed a more diplomatic rendition of Charles Lee's words. 

"The same bullshit, but this time it's dressed all pretty." Laurens muttered to his right, frowning at Jenkins. Alex bit back a grin, glancing around to see if anyone had caught the comment.

Burr didn't seem to hear him, but he sat rigidly, entirely uncomfortable with something. Alex's brows furrowed, trying to work out what had happened. He was soon able to notice that, out of the corner of his eye, Jefferson was watching Burr, almost in evaluation. Alex raised his eyebrows, turning his attention back to whatever Jenkins was saying. 

Occasionally, he would be interrupted by a murmered retort from Alex that consistently caused Burr to nudge him and Laurens to smother a laugh. Jefferson seemed deeply unamused by Alex's replies, and rather flatly told him to shut up. Each time Jenkins said something particularly stupid, such as them not needing alliances, Alex would continue to interrupt with his thoughts, and leave Burr with the fun job of translating his words into a less snide sentence.

By the end of it, they had appeared to reach a deadlock. Alex still argued as much as possible, backed by Laurens or Peggy. It reached to the point where Jefferson dismissed them without informing what he would likely choose.

"Hamilton, stay behind." Jefferson instructed. Alex sighed, exchanging a weary look with Burr, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms. Burr gave a sympathetic shrug.

The cabinet dispersed slowly, a slight muttering rising as it usually did when they were dismissed. Burr wasn't particularly subtle with his lingering, but at Jefferson's glare, he hesitently stepped outside.

A silence fell that Alex refused to break. With determination, he fixed his gaze upon the table, acutely aware of Jefferson's presence but refusing to acknowledge it. Unfortunately, it appeared that Jefferson had a similar idea; he seemed content to overtly regard Alex, focused and intent, unfazed by Alex's refusal to meet his eyes. He was promptly reminded by all the things he had to do; for one, write up a summary of what had happened during the cabinet meeting, then explain why Lee was wrong. Jefferson likely knew what his tactic was, and was content to wait it out. This, inevitably, got to Alex, and he relented with a glare.

"You weren't in work yesterday." Jefferson simply stated, fixing Alex with an unreadable look. "If you're dying, then go back home. Insurance doesn't cover sudden death."

This wasn't what Alex had expected. For a few seconds, he paused, quite unsure of how to react. Jefferson noted his hesitation with a quirked eyebrow, evidently trying to place his pause which lulled Alex into action.

"Why, Thomas, I didn't know you cared." Alex retorted dryly, ignoring how late it sounded. Jefferson didn't reply, though Alex could see the change of stance as soon as he said Jefferson's first name. A slow flush worked a path over his face and chest when he reminded himself of the last time he had called Jefferson ' _Thomas_ '.

 _Bent over a desk, hands against his waist, teeth nipping against his neck_ -

Jefferson seemed to sense where his mind had gone, and gave a knowing smirk. Alex knew that it was entirely theatrical, but the way Jefferson stared intently at his eyes caused him to freeze, helpless to do anything but stare back. Then, eyes slid lower to Alex's mouth, before dragging up to meet Alex's eyes again.

His breath hitched.

It was a tiny detail that Jefferson would have to be looking for in order to hear. An arrogant tip of the head, then, in a low and surly drawl, "I'd  _hardly_  say I cared,  _darlin_ '."

 _Oh, shit_.

Now was decisively not the time to get hard over Jefferson's fucking  _voice_. Alex knew he was doing it on purpose, which only made matters worse. He tried to control his breathing, his heart an uncomfortable hammer in his chest. Jefferson seemed unaffected by the proceedings, fixed on getting a reaction out of him.

"Was that really necessary?" Alex asked, breath rough as though he had withstood hours of Jefferson's teasing, and not one sentence equipped with a purposeful look. Jefferson's smirk only broadened, stance completely relaxed and Alex wanted to change that.

"You tell me." The retort was quick, as though this had been prepared before Alex spoke. Jefferson then paused, tilting his head slightly to the left as his eyes drifted lower, settling on his neck. "There's certainly something satisfying about making you hard with my voice, Alexander."

 _Fuck it_. Alex had little self control, especially around Jefferson, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Jefferson walk away unscathed. His posture must have shifted, because Jefferson arched an eyebrow, regarding him carefully. He leaned forward, making eye contact with Jefferson, baring his neck slightly to show the marks that he had been given.

This seemed to work, as Jefferson's eyes immediately travelled across his neck, a look of satisfaction settling. Alex couldn't help the slight flush - as nuch as he intended to unhinge Jefferson, there was still something inticing about this.

"Were you marking your property?" Alex asked, a slight smile in his voice. Both knew what he was referring to; the marks against his skin held little to the imagination. Alex's words seemed to bring an almost possessive look to Jefferson's eyes, though Jefferson was still in control of the conversation, still able to get a firm reaction out of Alex.

"Does that hold some appeal to you?" Jefferson returned. He stood from his chair, walking towards Alex with a few steps. Alex turned to face him, but Jefferson had his hands gently covering Alex's throat, causing Alex to freeze. Thomas leaned forward to whisper, hot breath brushing against his neck. "I've laid my claim on you. Everyone can see where I've marked you, everyone knows that you're mine."

Alex shivered. Thomas's touch left trails of fire against his skin, making him feel too warm. Weakly, he replied, "I don't belong to anyone but myself."

"Is that so?" Thomas drawled. His fingers pressed against the pulse on Alex's neck, picking up his quick heartbeat. Alex didn't realise he was holding his breath until he let out a shaky gasp. "You don't sound too sure."

"Thomas-" Alex cut himself off, his voice too strained and if Thomas didn't know how much Alex wanted him, he certainly did now. Thomas let out a pleased hum, one hand still against Alex's neck, but the other travelling lower, skilfully mapping out Alex's chest.

"You were trying to tease me." Thomas mused, though Alex could tell that something was beginning to have an affect on him, judging by the almost husky quality to his voice. "That wasn't very smart."

"I - oh,  _fuck_." Alex gasped, arching into the touch. When he was trying to defend himself, Thomas's touch drifted to his nipple, pressing firmly against it and causing a low stir of arousal across him. He tried to regain some semblance of control, tried to ignore how his trousers felt too tight and how good Thomas's touch was.

"You don't even care that we're at work, do you?" Thomas's voice was close to a growl, and, almost to empathise his point, scrapped his finger roughly against his chest, eliciting a throaty moan. "You're fucking desperate, my needy slut. You'd let me fuck you right now, when anyone could walk in, wouldn't you?"

"As if you wouldn't." Alex bit back. He was already half-hard, cock straining against confines.

"We both know I'd have you bent over and begging for my cock in seconds." Thomas muttered, seemingly distracted as he lightly traced Alex's neck. Alex enjoyed the gentleness of this action, appreciating the possessive undertones despite how independent he was. Then, the touch was gone. "Though, I do believe Mr Burr is waiting for you, and I'd hate to keep him waiting."

Thomas was fucking  _evil_.

"You're the worst." Alex groaned, trying to crush some of the arousal stirring in his chest to no avail. Thomas laughed slightly, only darkening Alex's conviction. "Mark my words,  _sir_ , you'll be begging me to let you fuck me."

"Cute." Thomas retorted, sounding deeply amused. He wasn't bothered by Alex's frustration, opting to add, "I like seeing how delusioned you are."

"I'm being serious." Alex argued defensively, the heady attraction still in his veins and clouding his mind, causing his reaction time to become significantly slower. "It will happen."

"Then I look forward to it." Thomas's smirk carried through his voice. Alex turned to face him, noting the almost endeared shine to his expression that made Alex's heart clench. "Though, until then. We both have work to do."

Alex tried his best to glare, though he could feel his frustration soften into affection. This was dangerous, but at that moment, Alex truly couldn't bring himself to care. He shakily got to his feet, flushing at the appreciative once-over he was given. He headed to the door, feeling eyes follow him, and he enjoyed the attention; it showed that Thomas wasn't as unaffected as he tried to act.

He bit back a grin, feeling oddly giddy. Before he left the room, he turned to face Thomas. "Tonight."

A slight smile flashed across Thomas's face, before he seemed to control his expression into a more neutral one. "Tonight." He repeated softly in agreement.

As soon as Alex left the room, he was quickly accosted by a rather anxious looking Burr. Though, as soon as Burr noted something in his expression, he relaxed. They both automatically headed to Alex's office, Alex completely distracted and mostly following after Burr, and Burr seemingly deep in thought.

"Your relationship with Jefferson is genuinely the most confusing thing I've ever laid eyes on." Burr announced as soon as they were secured in the office, safe from prying eyes and listening ears. Alex grimaced, ducking his head at how direct Burr was being.

"It's not a relationship." Alex offered. Burr frowned, seemingly considering his words, before giving a measurably neutral shrug. Burr's pause at Alex's words caused Alex to sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Fuck, I've made the same mistake twice, haven't I?"

"I don't think having an interest in someone romantically is a mistake." Burr replied, raising his eyebrows. Alex huffed, thinning his lips, evidently disagreeing. Almost as though he was backpeddling, Burr hastily added, "I mean, if he keeps on choosing you, it has to mean something."

"Does it?" Alex retorted sharply, far sharper than he intended. Burr gave a slight grimace, which caused Alex to sigh again. "Look, I know you're trying to help, and I'm grateful, but false hope is going to make the inevitable end of this twice as painful."

"Just hear me out." Burr stated. Alex felt himself move slightly backwards at the sudden role-reversal, feeling slightly bewildered, but at Alex's silence that Burr seemed to take as grudging agreement, he continued. "If anything, Jefferson wants you to stay monogamous. Did you notice how much he was glaring at me whenever I tried to interact with you?"

"Maybe he just doesn't like you." Alex helpfully offered.

"Thanks." Burr said flatly, before shaking his head. "When I was talking to Peggy, he didn't seem to give a damn. As soon as I talked to you, he looked seconds away from shooting me."

"Right." Alex agreed slowly, believing that Burr had no fucking idea what he was talking about. Burr's brows furrowed temporarily, before he seemed to ease up.

It was evident that Burr wanted to press the matter; he could read it in tbe way his shoulders were slightly tensed, and the way his jaw muscle twitched once before he seemed to force his frustration away, a skill that Alex still couldn't master.

The conversation continued tenuously; Burr seemed cautious to step forward, seemingly aware that Alex could snap at him if he picked the wrong subject. Alex didn't particularly enjoy enciting Burr's legendary caution, but this time he tried to work around it; he wouldn't discuss whatever the hell was going on between him and Thomas, and it seemed like all Burr could focus on was that.

Alex supposed Burr meaned well, but right now, Alex wanted to be left alone. It wasn't Burr's fault, but he had struck a raw nerve that Alex refused to identify. Burr, however limited his social skills were, picked up on Alex's prompts and opted to leave. 

 

 

**< <>> <<>> <<>>**

 

 

The week passed without much event. Burr would often visit his office, or Alex, his. They would normally discuss the other's personal life - Burr would talk about how his daughter was progressing in school, and Alex would complain about his fucked up love life. The conversation was easy, and Alex would soon relax into it.

With Peggy, he would rarely get visits from her, primarily work-based, but on the occasion, she would drag Laurens with her. Alex was sure that he and Laurens could be friends, but only given time; he wasn't nineteen, and a good friendship had to be earned, not freely given. He supposed thos thought process was picked up either with age or from Burr's influence.

With Thomas, he wasn't entirely sure what to think. He seemed to enjoy sending Alex in loops, getting a kick out of watching Alex get flustered. He was still difficult as fuck to deal with, and the fact that they were sleeping together didn't change anything.

Well, it didn't change most things.

Alex knew he was falling, but he still couldn't bring himself to care. He indulged again in old habits; Alex would stay more frequently, and Thomas would often ask him to.

On such nights, Thomas seemed to favor pulling him close, occasionally pressing close-mouthed kisses against his neck and shoulder, hands gently trailing up and down his back. Alex would melt into the touch, giving a content sigh and looping his arms around Thomas's waist.

In moments like these, Alex liked to think of a world where he could logically be with Thomas. Instead of constantly fighting over every subject or going out of their way to make things more difficult for the other, they could cooperate and their arguments wouldn't resort to pettiness and name-calling. The illusion was inevitably shattered when Thomas would pull back, away from Alex's touch, looking as though he had just indulged in somethong he shouldn't have.

It would be an obvious dismissal, and Alex would leave. He knew better than to stay where he wasn't wanted.

Sometimes Alex felt so damn lonely he would fall asleep on his couch instead of a bed that felt too large for one person. He didn't tell this to Burr - who would implore him to do what makes him happy, easier said than done since he didn't know that anymore - and certainly not Thomas, which left him on his own.

Alex wasn't sure what he wanted. He couldn't leave his job, at least not when whatever was going on between him and Thomas had been put on play, though this wasn't exactly an issue since a good job with the same pay was impossible. He could return to his work as a lawyer, but the work no longer held an appeal. As much as he might buck against it, Thomas was a damn good boss - he lacked the experience that Washington had with leadership, and acted like an arrogant asshole far too often - but what skills were found to be more shortcomings, he made up for with innovation and stubbornness.

Alex still  _liked_  his job. Even if he was essentially a glorified secretary, he was still allowed to know what was going on, and the explicit details of these facts. Together, if they wanted to, both he and Burr were able to piece together the majority of their co-workers lives.

All Alex was unsure of was what do do about him and Thomas.

It was obvious where Thomas stood; Alex would never be anything more than a warm body or irritatingly stubborn and argumentative to him. Yet, just like last time, Alex was beginning to pick up on signs that there could be something more.

 _Projecting_ , Alex thought with a frown.

 _Fucking delightful_.

Regardless, he bit back his ponderings until he could fully focus on his work. The last thing he needed was a reprimand due to his work or lack thereof. Burr occasionally brought his own work in, opting to complete it in Alex's office instead of his own.

"I have to put up with John Adams sulking." Burr offered as an exuse. Alex huffed in response, grimicing at the thought and clearing some space at his desk. Burr gave a weary smile in response, as though he was tired of everything his job had to offer.

"If I have to write about the bullshit that was the cabinet meeting one more time..." Alex muttered, throwing his pen down a bit more dramatically than he had intended. Burr shrugged, picking up Alex's pen and dropping it against the pad of paper Alex was utilizing. 

"Peggy has to deal with everything in the office and the possible public backlash." Burr pointed out, tapping his pen against Alex's desk in a rhythm he didn't recognise. "Regardless of what happens, there's always backlash."

Alex gave a hum of agreement, crossing out a line in his paper. The words he wrote felt uncomfortably clipped, and refused to flow properly. He sighed, distracted by the sheer amount of marks on paper. It was only when Burr nudged him did he notice there was an intruder.

He felt his posture straighten, pulse suddenly distinct and loud as he met Thomas's eyes. Burr noticed his change in stance and gave an empathetic wince, giving an awkward half-smile-half-grimace.

"Mr Burr, has your office been flooded?" Thomas asked, voice light, not bothering with pleasantries or addressing Alex. Burr blinked once, then twice, before he forced an impassively polite smile.

"Alexander and I were having a discussion." Burr said lightly, glancing back at Alex before turning to face Thomas properly. Something about this felt off, as though Thomas and Burr were having a non-verbal argument.

"I'm sure you were." Thomas drawled, eyes finally resting on Alex, as though he was noting his appearance. When he saw that Alex was regarding the proceedings with a tiny frown, his eyes snapped back to Burr. "Are your discussions frequent enough to impede on your work life?"

Burr didn't reply, though he did risk a glance at the work he had brought in with him. Without a word, Alex took the hint, knocking some of his files over to cover Burr's. His movements weren't exactly subtle, and none of them were under the illusion that Thomas didn't know precisely what Alex was trying to do.

Instead of calling him out on it, Thomas gave him an unimpressed look, as though Alex should've done better. Alex grimaced, thinning his lips. Burr glanced betwrrn them, eyebrows raised to the heavens, looking so damn confused it was almost funny. "I'll take my leave, then."

As soon as Burr was out of earshot, Alex narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't very nice."

"Burr knows better then to take his work into someone else's office." Thomas retorted, not bothered that he had probably put Burr on edge for the next month or so. Alex seemed on the brink of voicing his opinion, but Thomas continued, "I don't doubt you two are close-"

 _Oh_.

So  _that_  was what this was about.

"Thomas." Alex interjected, feeling himself arch an eyebrow. Thomas scowled at the interruption, but fell quiet, waiting for the rest of Alex's words. "Are you honestly  _jealous_? Of  _Burr_?"

"Burr has nothing to be jealous of." Thomas answered, levelled, as though they were merely discussing the weather and nothing more. Alex could note the tightness to his lips, and part of him was beaming at the idea that Thomas was jealous. As stupid as it sounded, it made him feel wanted, as though Thomas could-

"Why did you come into my office, anyway?" Alex hastily changed the subject, crossing his arms tight against his chest. Thomas rolled his eyes, as though Alex was acting completely unreasonable by asking why he was bothering him.

"Here." Thomas threw a file down onto Alex's desk, landing with a soft thump. Alex raised an eyebrow, opening it to the first page. As soon as he did so, he looked at Thomas in surprise.

"Is that Madison's report on the cabinet meeting?" Alex asked, recognising the curled writing from his days of cooperation with him, back in the years of the federalist papers. Thomas merely looked at him in response, as though Alex was being obtuse on purpose.

"No, it's a drawing of a tree." Thomas drawled. Alex tried not to grin at the tone, opting to piss Thomas off further by turning the paper on its side and tracing the outskirts of a short paragraph.

"I mean, Madison might have a lot of improvement ahead, but this is a decent foundation." Alex mused, smothering a smile at the scoff he was rewarded with. 

"How you're able to exist without someone shooting you is a miracle." Thomas retorted, turning the file back upright, though there was a tiny quirk to his lips that indicated amusement. Alex frowned in mock consideration, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"I don't know, Burr's been giving me the evil eye recently..." Alex began.

"Just shut up and do your job." Thomas stated flatly, though his expression had shifted into a barely concealed smile that Alex returned.

With a mock salute, Alex said, "Yes, sir."

In response, Thomas knocked over his pen container. Alex snorted, too amused to be offended. Thomas actually grinned in response, looking far too proud of himself, so Alex threw the pen he was using at him. It hit Thomas, but his reactions were fast enough for him to catch it after it hit his shoulder.

"Did you just throw a pen at me?" Thomas demanded, startled out of a laugh. Alex shrugged, doing his best  _'I-don't-know-why-you're-asking-me'_  face. He was rewarded with a rather incredulous look. "You don't need to worry about Burr shooting you, I'll do it myself."

"You'd probably miss." Alex quipped.

"In my defense, you're not a very big target."

"Did you just make fun of my height?"

Thomas looked as though he had just been deeply offended. "No, I'd never sink that low."

Alex scowled at the reply. Regardless of how quick it was, Thomas still liked to piss him off. Instead of offering his own comeback (primarily due to the lack of one), Alex grouched, "You're insufferable." 

Thomas didn't seem remotely bothered by Alex's response. Instead of snapping back or defending himself, Thomas seemingly opted to take the high ground and begin towards his door. Though, before passing, Alex opted to swear at him and got a similar result. President or not, Thomas would still argue with Alex, even if this was no longer frequent.

He was gifted with an hour or so of being left alone, which was long enough to both notice and stop the stupid smile on his face. He only managed to do so by reminding himself that, at some point, he would reach full circle and be back at the beginning; Thomas would be back to pretending that they had never even interacted, and Alex trying not to pine after someone who was unobtainable.

Unfortunately, in his romantic life, it seemed as though he had a streak of masochism. He supposed it was something to do with the challenge; most of his relationships started passionate and strong, with Alex pursuing a formally unavailable party, before Alex lost interest and it eventually crashed to an end.

Thomas was a first on several grounds. For one, he would pursue Alex, and that would always catch him off-guard. Secondly, he always seemed to leave something out. Instead of telling Alex all the details, he would leave gaps, leaving Alex to piece together the puzzle and use his mind rather than have someone put it together for him.

Worse yet, Alex was beginning to find the word ' _crush_ ' vaguely patronizing. Pretending that he was only physically interested in Thomas would be a massive insult to his intelligence.  _Fuck_ , Alex wanted something  _more_  from Thomas, something that he couldn't quite put a name to.

He wanted to do things properly instead of a quick, shared moment in a locked office, hidden away and promptly ignored. He didn't care much for romance - Valentine's Day is and always will be consumerist bullshit, and he never held much affection for showy, formal dinner dates where he would have to tuck away his personality and pretend he enjoyed insignificant small talk.

He wanted a different life, where Thomas could be seen with him and still be the same haughty bastard he always was. Alex wanted more than stolen kisses in the dark; he wanted to do the stupid shit that he'd seen on awful romantic movies, like sharing a meal or holding hands. He wanted them to fight, because he and Thomas were both strong willed and a lifetime of peace was never going to work - but afterwards, instead of the tension simmering down over a long period of time, Alex wanted to discuss the subject properly and sort out a distinct impasse or compromise. And, afterwards, they would still probably shout at eachother over the subject.

Then, the word came to him.

 _Fuck_ , Alex wanted a  _relationship_.

As soon as he came to that realisation, he wanted to immediately backpeddle. It was different than before; with before, he knew that he was falling back into old habits, developing affection for that goddamn twat.

Now, deeper feelings were on the line. Not the tenuous interest he held beforehand.  _Actual_ , adult feelings that he would have to deal with, and soon. He didn't want to find the word to it, but for once, Alex ignored his instincts to go back to work. He was wrapped up in his musings, so much so, that he didn't hear the door to his office hesitently click open.

"Alexander?" A voice asked him, sounding rather concerned.

"I love him." Alex blurted out, eyes wide. He felt his breath catch at his words, repeating like a mantra in his mind, over and over and over. The horror, manifesting into a feeling of nausea, took over his thought process. The door closed loudly, shaking him from his panicked state.

He looked up to see a deeply worried looking Burr.

He blinked at Alex. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Nothing." Alex lied through his teeth, hoping that either Burr didn't pick up on the blatant dishonesty, or was kind enough to ignore it for what it was. "It was just a cough."

Burr furrowed his brows at him. "Are you okay?"

"Spiffing." Alex automatically answered, before frowning at his incredibly strange word choice. He cleared his throat, as though trying to dislodge the unusual situation, before looking up at Burr.

Carefully, Burr repeated, "Spiffing."

"Well, yeah. Would other words help?" Alex asked. Burr looked at him for a while, as though gouging his sincerity, so Alex rolled his eyes, adding, "I feel marvellous. Splended. Corking. Stupen-"

"No, I regret asking." Burr interrupted him. Even though Alex reacted with deep hurt, as though Burr had called his mother a whore and proceeded to shoot him, he was silently relieved that he had been stopped before he ran out of synonyms. "Regardless, Laurens has insisted on taking us - and Peggy - to a bar after work."

Alex groaned. "Why?"

"I know, people are scary." Burr stated flatly, which caused Alex to huff in amusement. Burr, however, continued. "I think it would be nice to welcome Laurens properly instead of giving him an awkward wave whilst passing in the corridors."

"I'm  _old_ , Aaron." Alex complained. He then held up the pair of glasses he kept by his desk but never wore because fuck his eyesight for being mildly weak. "Look at how old I am! I was prescribed reading glasses!"

"Which you never wear out of stubbornness." Burr contridicted. Alex huffed, placing them on to prove a point. This certainly helped, though he would never admit it.

"Fine, whatever, I'll go." Alex flicked a dismissive hand. Burr offered a slight smile at his reluctant agreement.

"It'll be fun." Burr added, as though Alex needed further encouragement despite the fact that he had already agreed to go. Alex rolled his eyes, unconvinced, so Burr blithely continued. "I mean, you're not that old."

"Thanks." Alex stated flatly, raising his eyebrows. Burr smiled brightly, either not noticing or not caring at Alex's (relatively put-on) offense, seemingly excited over the arrangement.

"I'll message you the details." Burr said as parting, heading towards the door and giving a slight wave. Alex returned it, feeling vaguely bemused - the last time they had socialized in a bar, it was from Alex's insistence, and Burr had been the one showing great reluctance.

This was fucking  _weird_.

To make matters more dire, he was left with his own thoughts, and the outburst that he had was left to haunt him. It couldn't be true. Thomas was too stubborn, irritating, and his ideals opposed almost all of Alex's.

He wondered if he could ask someone for advice - someone who wouldn't judge him upon his questionable life choices (like Burr), but with excellent advice (most likely from a plethora of romance novels), and a habit of seeing right through Alex's attempts to change subject.

Three people came to mind.

Madison wasn't his friend. Sure, Alex knew that he truly didn't give a fuck about what choices other people made as long as it didn't cross his morals or people he cared about. He gave damn good advice, though certainly didn't seem to be the type to give romantic advice out to co-workers on a whim, without much explaining.

Thomas was out of the question. He certainly seemed to be the type to enjoy trashy romance novels, but Alex couldn't really imagine how the conversation might work.  _("Yo, Thomas, I know you don't really like me, but what is your opinion on me falling in love with you?")_

Which left one more person;

Peggy.

He grimaced in distaste. It wasn't as though asking a Schuyler would be particularly dangerous - though, granted, they appeared to have a hive mind; as soon as one knew so much as a scrap of information, all three did, yet none would ever reveal what they knew to anyone else.

Ideally, he would ask Eliza. She was more optimistic than the other two; with Angelica being a pessimist and Peggy being a mix of both. Eliza would be honest, though far more complimentary with her words, and would leave Alex with a lessened sense of ' _fuck, the entire world is on fire'_.

Though, he had fallen out of touch with the other two Schuylers, and Peggy was still exceptionally good at providing decent advice. The best thing to do would be to swallow his pride (an act he had always found difficult) and wait for the best opportunity to approach.

There wasn't much time left in the work day; a mere handful of hours, that ticked by subtly before the alarm set on his phone went off. He was about to dismiss it and continue working before he remembered that he had agreed to meeting with Burr.

With a small huff, he pocketed his phone, going through the routine of closing up his office. It was rare for him to leave on time; either he worked late, or decided to swing by Thomas's office.

He walked out of his office, locking the door, and almost backed into someone. Alex swore loudly, startled at having not noticed the stranger - who had the exact same response as Alex.

"Shit!" Laurens swore colorfully, before calming long enough to note who he had crashed into. Rather sheepishly, he added, "Sorry, man."

Alex blinked, before trying to dismiss it with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "No, it's fine-"

"Oh, it's you two." Burr called. Alex turned on his heel to watch Burr break into a light jog to join them, before skittering to an awkward halt. He offered a tiny smile. "I thought I heard loud swearing."

"That was John, not me." Alex automatically deflected, almost laughing at how offended Laurens looked in response. Burr blinked, seemingly unsure as he glanced between them.

As though trying to help, Laurens added, "I swore because Alexander was trying to kill me."

"And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids." Alex replied in deadpan, receiving a sharp bark of laughter from Laurens and a slight chuckle from Burr. "Who is Peggy haunting now?"

This earned two matching shrugs. Almost in unison, the three looked around the corridor. Alex noticed Madison first, walking slightly behind with his usual air of investigation. Then, he noticed Thomas.

"Hide me." Alex hissed.

"Huh?" Burr asked, glancing to where Alex had last looked with a frown, before his eyes widened in comprehension. Laurens, however, immediately sprung into action, shifting so that his back was to the two Virginians and he was facing Alex.

After a slight pause, Burr joined Laurens. Voice lowered, Laurens asked, "Dude, why're we hiding from Madison?"

"Not Madison." Burr replied grimly.

"Jefferson isn't that scary." Laurens offered, completing his words with a jaunty, one-armed shrug. In response, Alex huffed, raking a tired hand through his hair before realising what he was doing and he stopped.

"You've been here for a month or so." Alex pointed out, though he agreed with Laurens; Thomas was irritating to deal with, though hardly threatening. For one, his apparel was frequently so bemusing it would be difficult for Alex to take him seriously.

All three paused, listening to the footsteps. Burr knew why Alex was freaking out to this extent, and therefore offered his help. Laurens, however, had no idea what was going on but still moved to help Alex. 

"What's going on?" Madison asked as soon as they were close enough. Burr grimaced, an expression that Alex was sure matched his own, whereas Laurens frowned.

"A mother's meeting?" Thomas offered in his usual drawl, causing Alex to want to adjust his appearance again. He refrained from doing so, even as he felt Thomas's eyes rake over his figure before he glanced curiously between Laurens and Burr. Burr seemed deeply unwilling to answer; he always avoided lying, especially to an authority figure, so remaining silent was the best step forward. The former man, however, seemed to have no such problem.

"We're forming a harem." Laurens cheerfully replied.

Burr made a dying sound. He had drawn in a breath, but it appeared to catch around his throat, and he gasped as though air wasn't quite leaving. Laurens laughed, causing both Thomas and Burr to glower darkly at him. Alex awkwardly patted Burr's back in attempts to help him get his breath back.

Thomas looked torn between verbally berating the three of them or walking off without so much as a backwards glance. Madison, however, actually smiled slightly as he glanced at a deeply unimpressed looking Thomas. "That sounds fun. Can we join?"

"Only if you know the magic password." Alex replied. Laurens snorted, looking at Alex in mild, though pleased, surprise. Burr, however, looked seconds away from commencing his midlife crisis.

"I need new friends." He grumbled.

"No, that's not it." Laurens retorted. Alex risked a glance at Thomas, only to find that he was being watched. He quickly snapped his gaze back to Laurens as though he was recoiling from an open flame.

"Is this a conversation we should be having with our boss?" Burr hissed in a low voice, providing a welcomed distraction. Burr seemed on the verge of tears, and he narrowed his lips into a wrought grimace.

"It's not a conversation you should be having at all." Thomas answered for Burr, smoothly arching an eyebrow. Laurens held back a snigger, opting to bite his fist in order to contain his amusement. "Though, I assume you all have better places to be than conducting a harem in the middle of the corridor."

"I don't." Alex muttered, perhaps slightly too loud, judging by the odd, yet still unreadable look Thomas gave him. Burr cleared his throat, though the action was far less fluid and natural than it should've been.

"I forgot my, um - pen." Burr wasn't particularly convincing, but Alex assumed the reason they all let Burr try and continue the charade was out of mere pity or a vague semblance of curiosity. "Alexander, John, could you help me find it?"

Laurens nodded seriously. "Of course, if we're going to be in a harem, we have to look out for eachother."

Burr looked at him for a while before shaking his head, directing his gaze towards the ceiling as though he was asking unanswerable questions to a greater power. Laurens grabbed his arm, leading Burr down the corridor and to his office. Alex hasitly glanced between Madison and Jefferson before offering a quick goodbye before following after them.

"Thomas, did you understand any of that?" Alex could hear Madison ask, but he didn't wait for the answer; he was close enough to Burr's office to see that Laurens and Burr appeared to be engaged in a battle of wills.

"It wouldn't be that awkward." Laurens argued, crossing his arms.

Burr shuffled his feet. "I mean, I did just lie to them. If we go now, they'll know I didn't have a lost pen."

"Aaron, nobody gives a fuck about your pen or lack thereof." Laurens deadpanned. Burr blinked, muttering something to himself, but keeping his tone low enough to go unheard. Laurens scowled.

"Come on, we'll wait two minutes - any longer and we'll keep Peggy waiting." Alex halted what was probably going to be one of the pettiest arguments he would ever encounter. Laurens exhaled loudly, though he grudgingly complied. Burr, however, looked beyond relieved.

Two minutes passed in which Laurens continued to shoot venomous glowers at Burr, and Burr opted to feign sudden blindness. Alex wondered if this was all his arguments looked like, before deciding that he probably didn't want to know.

The walk to the bar was able to ease the tension; they didn't run into any colleagues, and Laurens was left in a considerably brighter mood when he saw a random man trip over his own feet and fall. Burr, however, just looked tired, so Alex forced some sort of optimism and hoped that Burr would follow suit.

"Took you losers long enough." Peggy shouted as soon as they entered. Incredulous, Alex stared at the three empty pint glasses. 

"Jesus, you've had three already?" Burr asked, his surprise knocking him out of his primarily neutral demeanour. Peggy grinned at him in response, raising an empty glass in mock salute.

Laurens let out a low whistle. " _Damn_ , I've got some catching up to do."

"Funny." Alex stated, tilting his head slightly to the right as though he was deep in consideration. "I was thinking the same thing."

Burr sighed. He moved to sit across from Peggy, leaving two empty seats behind them. Laurens mimicked his expression, cocking his head with a small grin. "Does that make us best friends or mortal enemies?"

"I'll tell you Aaron's secrets if you tell me yours." Alex said with no hesitation whatsoever.

"Hey!" Burr exclaimed, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. Laurens laughed, then offered to shake Alex's hand similar to finalising a business deal. Alex shook his hand.

"The pair of you, stop flirting." Peggy called. Alex rolled his eyes, an action copied by his apparent flirting buddy. Without much ceremony, Alex led the way to sit at the table, exchanging slight smiles with Burr.

"If I was flirting, trust me, we'd be halfway to my apartment." Laurens shrugged, but instead of joining the three at the table, he draped his blazer across his chair and headed towards the bar. "The first round is on me."

"Marry me." Peggy replied cheerfully. Laurens didn't reply, though he sent a thumbs up without a backwards glance, which caused Alex to wonder if he had actually heard her. Alex shook his head, startling slightly when Burr moved to help Laurens (" _Alexander, he isn't an octopus, he shouldn't carry four drinks on his own,"_ ). Peggy planted her hands flat against the bar table. "Spill."

"Huh?" Alex asked articulately, completing the look by glancing around him as though Peggy was talking to someone else.

Peggy sighed heavily as though her soul was trying to leave her body. "You've been sitting there as though you're seconds away from exploading, and my shirt is new. I'd rather not get blood on it."

"Oh." Alex said. "That's well observed, I'm impressed."

"You're stalling."

As usual, Alex hadn't particularly planned this far ahead. He proceeded to stare for several seconds though Peggy truly looked like she didn't give a damn at Alex's adamant reluctance. So, he gave in, and explained all the shit that went down in his love life.

By the end of it, Burr and Laurens had come back, listening to the conversation with identical looks of interest. When Alex glanced at the new drinks, he found that both his and Peggy's were left untouched though Laurens had finished, and Burr had drained his glass so it was half empty.

Peggy's brows were furrowed. She seemed close to gaining an answer, but every time it seemed to elude her. Eventually, she turned to John. "What do you think?"

"Just sleep together and get over it." John suggested helpfully, eyeing up the full glasses. Alex rolled his eyes, pushing the glass towards him though John hastily moved it back. Peggy shrugged, taking a sip of beer.

"He's tried that." Aaron mused.

Peggy spluttered. She slapped her hand loudly against the table, causing them to gain attention from a minority of patrons, though the attention could also be explained by the way John practically cackled.

"He speaks!" John exclaimed loudly. He then nudged Aaron in a friendly manner, as though they had been friends for as long as John could remember.

Aaron ducked his head, seemingly embarrassed at the attention from strangers, though he did mutter, "I talk a lot."

"No." Peggy and John disagreed at the same time, then glanced at eachother in surprise. At the same time, Alex said, "I call bullshit."

"Hey, I'm not the one in need of an intervention." Aaron defended himself, raising his hands slightly as though warding off an attack. Alex scoffed, crossing his arms and glaring, though Aaron didn't seem to mind. "Alexander trusted us to give him some sort of advice, we might as well try to help."

"Are you sure it's something we can help with?" John asked, tapping his fingers against the table. Peggy thinned her lips, evidently irritated, though she did nothing to stop him. Alex paused, wanting to answer but not sure what to say. His hesitance was enough for John to grimace in sympathy. He clasped Alex's shoulder. "I hate to say it, but it looks like you've got it bad."

"Don't look so disheartened." Peggy offered, taking another pensive sip of her drink before continuing to speak. "I mean, judging by the way he looks at you-"

"I disagree." Alex automatically interrupted, though Peggy ignored him.

"-he seems like he's interested, so I'd give it a shot." Peggy finished. Alex raised an eyebrow, completely disbelieving, but when Peggy didn't budge, he glanced around to find matching expressions of agreement. "It's gotten to the point where I'm actively trying to piss him off to entertain myself."

"Drink up." John suggested, gesturing at Alex's glass. "It's how I avoid my feelings."

"Healthy." Aaron stated flatly, frowning. Alex, however, was in agreement with John, and proceeded to down the pint as quickly as possible. Alex placed the glass back on the table, feeling lightheaded, though whether this was due to the alcohol acting or because he wasn't able to breathe for roughly ten seconds, Alex couldn't tell.

"That's more fucking like it!" John exclaimed cheerfully. He then turned his gaze to Aaron, raising an expectant eyebrow.

"I can't drink that much." Aaron shrugged, not sounding particularly upset with this. He took a slow sip of beer before settling it back down. "The babysitter would kill me if I came home drunk."

"Ouch. The bitter sting of rejection." John lamented, shaking his head. Peggy snorted, drinking the rest of her pint with far more grace than Alex had. "Anyway, I got the last round. Who's liquor lackey this time?"

"Alliteration." Alex observed, nodding in approval. "Nice."

John snorted, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ' _nerd_ '. Alex was in too good of a temperament to even remotely take offense. Aaron stood up, and headed to the bar. This time, Alex followed, because he could easily imagine him having a nervous breakdown at having to carry too many glasses back.

"I like them." Aaron mused, giving a genuine smile that reached his eyes. Alex returned it, glancing back to see Peggy and John engaged in what seemed like a vicious staring match that was soon broken because Peggy loudly clapped her hands, causing John to startle.

"Me, too." A comfortable pause settled. Alex frowned. "Are you still looking for a new job?"

"I've settled for now. Lee hasn't tried to pick a fight with me in weeks since he now seems busy with shouting at John, and that's helped." Aaron sighed, eyes growing slightly foggy as he seemed to recollect a distant memory. However, he soon snapped out of it and offered Alex another slight smile. "What about you?"

"I'm too lazy to find a new job." Alex shrugged, though there were several other reasons he didn't change jobs; for one, like Aaron, he had settled, the turbulence over the change of power settling after several months. Another reason would be that he didn't particularly like change, and certainly didn't want to leave his job without guaranteeing that his newfound friends would be okay.

And, naturally, another reason was that Alex still wanted to sort out what was going on with Thomas, to leave no room for regrets or lack of closure. Aaron didn't mention any of this, though Alex knew that if he wanted to, he could have a good guess. Instead, the companionable quiet fell again until the drinks arrived and they headed back to the table.

"Water?" John asked, scrunching up his face in disapproval and he tapped the glass warily, as though it could bite him. "Really? Nobody needs water."

Aaron frowned. "Actually-"

"Figuratively, Aaron." John interrupted, sounding immensely exasperated. Peggy snorted, picking up her glass and taking a pointed sip as though proving some point. Aaron's frown deepened before he shook his head, settling next to Alex. John continued to look disdainfully at the glass for a handful of seconds before he turned to Alex. "Have you thought of trying to date someone else?"

"No." Alex replied. At the idea, though, he grimaced. "I'm kinda picky."

Peggy hummed. She tapped acrylic nails pointedly against glass, then exchanged looks with John. Alex looked between them, vaguely bewildered. She elaborated, "I don't think Jefferson's sleeping with someone else. I'll double check."

"That doesn't matter." Alex pointed out. "I don't think he would care if I was married to half the people in the White House, and he wouldn't expect me to care if he was seeing someone else."

The first awkward silence broke out, punctuated by how he dealt with two sets of eyes staring at him incredulously. Aaron, however, took his word for it. After a pregnant pause, John announced, "I need three more of these."

"Make that six." Peggy added.

He had left around the same time Burr had. By the time he was out of the door, a crescent moon was cast boldly against the dark expanse of navy sky. Pinpricks of lights flickered, and despite the darkness and unfamiliarity of this situation, it calmed Alex.

He began the walk to his bus stop,  pressing his hands close to his chest. The bar had been warm and Alex had seemed to have forgotten they were in the middle of winter, where the jagged cold would breathe through you. The journey was uneventful, save from the random emojis both Peggy and John sent him. He wondered if he regretted giving them his phone number before dismissing it; John was probably harmless, and if Peggy really wanted his number, she could find out by herself.

Aaron, however, was more pragmatic, and reminded him of arriving home safely and preparing paracetamol for afterwards - he didn't need it, three glasses of rather weak beer would be enough to place a teenager on their backs, but for Alex, it left him feeling pleasantly buzzed.

He opened the door to his house. Rather dimly, he acknowledged how dark it felt. Before this, when he had lived in the apartment with Hercules and basically lived with a frequently visiting Lafayette, at least one of them was milling around the apartment.

He toyed with the idea of moving again, into a smaller place, but then dismissed the notion. It was too much hassle. He then wondered what they would think of John - would the four of them gotten along? Would John be accepted as easily into the group as Alex was? - but the idea was too painful, reminding him of two friends that were quickly becoming people he used to know.

He forced the memories out of his mind, messaging the three in confirmation that he was home. With that, he put his phone on charge and left it there. Padding around the house in his bare feet was a tired routine, one that he soon ended in favor of shuffling to his bed, and promptly falling into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

The next morning brought a pale cast of light through his window and hovering hesitantly around the room. It was earlier than usual, reminding Alex that winter was soon approaching an end and spring was coming. He checked his phone, dismissing the alarm before it came and reading the increasingly incomprehensible messages from Peggy and John with a slight smile. The most resent one was from John, quite simply announcing that he was dying, and it was Alex's responsibility to call the priest and arrage a funeral. 

He got prepared for work and left earlier than usual - and was therefore actually able to stop by a store to purchase luch. For once, Alex was on time; normally, he worked on extremes, either noticeably early or painfully late. This meant that there were more people interracting with security than usual, and opted to take the stairs because dealing with roughly five people he didn't like or know in a small space would be Alex's version of hell.

He was wrapped up in his own thoughts as he began the walk, eyes fixed to his phone and tapping out a quick reply to John stating that he would arrange his own damn funeral. This meant that, as soon as Alex glanced up, he almost immediately recoiled.

"The fuck?" Alex asked, though it sounded more like a statement as he stared at Thomas, who was rather casually slouched against pale staircase walls.

"Good morning." Thomas replied evenly, not even sounding started. "How was the harem?"

"We've divorced." Alex said slowly, adjusting his messenger bag and regarding Thomas warily. It seemed as though Thomas was content to let the discussion fall, so Alex continued. "I've discovered both John and Aaron like pineapple on pizza."

"Disgusting." Thomas grimaced, which caused Alex to laugh in surprise. Thomas smiled slightly in response to Alex's laughter, so he took that as invitation to settle against the step he was stood on, his back pressing against the metal pane blocking the gaps between the stairs and the floor.

"That's like, the first thing we've agreed on." Alex commented, almost off-handedly. He pulled his bag so that it settled in his lap more comfortably. "By the way, why are you here?"

"Ah. That." Thomas began. He didn't sound as though he was particularly cautious about his answer, still dragging out the syllables until they could snap. "The thing is, I don't particularly like people."

Alex lifted an eyebrow. "Shocker."

"Shut up." Thomas retorted lazily, not sounding remotely bothered. He sent Alex a mock-glare. "I have to deal with a lot of people in the morning."

"So... you hide out here and make Madison deal with it?" Alex questioned. He settled more into his position, the metal slowly warming. 

"Hardly." Thomas dismissed, crossing his arms and offering a small frown, as though Alex was a puzzle. This was completely bewildering to Alex - this was one of the first normal conversation they had that wasn't in a post-orgasmic haze - yet Thomas was acting as though Alex was under interrogation. "Madison doesn't like interacting with too many people either. We make Seabury do it."

Despite himself, Alex snorted, and deadpanned, "Our country is in great hands."

"You put up with twenty loud versions Charles Lee, and let's see how you last." Thomas drawled.

"I'd be fine." Alex dismissed, offering a one shouldered shrug. Lee was entirely bark and no bite. Granted, in Alex's youth, Lee would have receive a far greater hostility from Alex.

"You're not allowed to shoot them." Thomas added, as though sensing Alex's thoughts. "It's not that bad. In the mornings, press conferences are arranged. I can't exactly say,  _'fuck off, I don't like you_ ' to a room full of journalists. So, I let Seabury deal with it, since it's his job to deal with people."

Alex smiled slightly at this. Even though Thomas was still acting like a sarcastic bastard, Alex couldn't bring himself to care, and he allowed a relaxed silence to settle.

Eventually, "Why the stairs?"

There was a pause. Alex risked a glance at Thomas, surprised to see that Thomas was observing him. There was a sigh. "The only people that use the stairs are Burr and James. Neither ask questions."

"Aaron never told me that."

"I suppose." Thomas said, impassive, suddenly sounding disinterested in the conversation. His expression had also become blank, and frustratingly difficult to read. Alex blinked, slightly taken aback by the sudden change in demeanour. Sounding vaguely curious, as though he was making light conversation and nothing more, Thomas asked, "How is Aaron?"

There was something more to Thomas's voice that was far beyond Alex's reach.

Alex was officially confused.

For once, he wished he had more emotional intelligence than a brick, because it would certainly help in situations like this. Lafayette had once told him that a person's eyes could hold no secrets, though Alex couldn't tell what Thomas was thinking. His vague sense of intuition, however, was at least capable picking up the fact that Aaron's name was said with a slight edge of disdain.

"He doesn't really talk." Alex offered. "When he does, it's mostly about his daughter, or my disaster of a love life."

At this, Thomas's lips quirked up. Something similar but not quite identical to relieve flashed across his expression, so fleeting that Alex was sure it wasn't there in the first place. "I'd hardly say it's disastrous. Nothing involving me ever is."

"You're involved in my love life?"

"We see eachother on a regular basis." Thomas raised an eyebrow. Alex mentally told himself that his question was spectacularly stupid, since all Thomas was doing was pointing out a fact. Though, Thomas continued with, "I'd say you're involved in my love life."

"Really?" Alex asked, trying not to grimace when he heard the surprised lilt color his voice. Thankfully, Thomas didn't mention it, but by the slight change in expression, he had certainly noticed it.

"Unfortunately."

"Oh - um, cool." Alex said, before mentally kicking himself.

Fucking  _genius_.

If Peggy had her way, these words would be ingraved on his tombstone as a living reminder to all of his complete ineptitude at being normal around Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas, unluckily, didn't let this go. He repeated dryly in a drawl, "Cool?"

"It's a good word." Alex automatically protested, crossing his arms and frowning indignantly. Thomas laughed brightly, the sound causing a part of Alex to flutter lightly. He glanced away quickly, trying to will away the pinpricks of heat coloring his cheeks. "You're just jealous I'm cool and you're not."

Alex could feel eyes on his rest on him for a few moments, but he pretended that he was unable to pick up on it. Incredulous, Thomas said, "I have no words for the sheer amount of stupidity I have just heard."

"That's what I say whenever you walk into a room." Alex added helpfully. He glanced at Thomas, and something in him eased when he noted that Thomas still held a relaxed pose, not taking his words to heart.

"You always find something to say." Thomas mused.

"It's a gift." Alex agreed, nodding his head once. This earned another laugh, which again made his chest feel too light and heavy at once. He resisted the urge to curse at himself barely; if he could pick up on his own feelings, then could Thomas?

Alex decided didn't particularly like the word ' _feelings_ '.

"Maybe for you." Thomas thankfully interrupted his thoughts, giving a slight shrug. There was a slightly teasing shift to his expression as he continued. "However, for the rest of us..."

"Ouch." Alex placed a hand theatrically over his heart, feigning deep offence. He looked at Thomas significantly, as though he had just decided to stab Alex on a whim, and narrowed his lips. "All three of my feelings have been hurt."

"You're way too emotional to have just three." Thomas contridicted, giving a slight smirk. Alex rolled his eyes, muttering an insult under his breath that wasn't quite lost to Thomas. An eyebrow was raised. "I heard that."

Alex grinned broadly in response. He had missed these conversations - the light bickering that led nowhere, where nothing was on the line. They were increasingly rare to come by, and felt so familiar it was almost painful. However, as soon as he noticed the loud steps quickly approaching, he sobered. He stood, glancing down the staircase to find Aaron staring back at him.

Slowly, Aaron gave a wave of greeting. Alex hesitantly returned it, feeling unusually awkward. Aaron soon joined him and Thomas, glancing uneasily between the pair. He offered a quick smile, before directing his gaze to the Virginian. Thomas watched carefully Aaron, and suddenly Alex felt as though the air was stifling.

He wondered if the sudden shift was to do with him, before Aaron gave a curt nod and just like that, the atmosphere diffused into something more amenable. Aaron announced, "I'm going to read paperwork."

As soon as Aaron's footsteps receded, Alex asked to nobody in particular, "Was it just me, or was that really awkward?"

"It wasn't just you." Thomas said, voice unreadable. Suddenly, he stood, offering a small smile. "We might as well return to our offices. God knows James'll have me dead if I don't do so soon."

Alex was left with the feeling that, as usual, he had missed something significant yet finely tuned; it would be something one of the Schuyler sisters or John could pick up and describe to him in more concrete terms. It irritated him beyond words. He alwayd needed to be aware of what was happening around him, regardless of the situation, but especially in a political free-for-all. And yet, he had missed this.

He stayed for a few seconds, trying to reply the entire interaction in his head but finding no answers. If he wanted the explanation, Alex would have to either confront Aaron or Thomas.

Thomas would either dismiss it, become alarmingly defensive, or abstain from comment. Aaron, however, would likely try to avoid the conversation but wouldn't tell a direct lie.

Alex hesitated for a second or so before abruptly making up his mind. The confusion was beginning to irritate him; he wasn't used to feeling kept out of the loop, and he refused to get used to it, too. Aaron was in his office, eyes directed at his laptop. When Alex opened the door, he glanced up immediately, before offering a slight smile.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on between you and Tho - Jefferson?" Alex asked, crossing his arms. The effect was almost instantaneous.

Aaron's face scrunched up into a grimace. He shut his laptop with a click, before opening it half-way. For a few seconds, he directed his attention to his desk, before glancing at his stationary. Then, he glanced back up at Alex. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar." Alex retorted.

"I don't want to have this conversation with you, Alexander." Aaron answered flatly, deceptively neutral but polite. Alex grimaced. He could feel an argument beginning to rise, but instead of the enjoyable debates, he could tell it was going to be personal.

"Why not?" Alex pushed. Despite knowing it was against his best interests, he was never the type to back down, regardless of the situation.

Almost warningly, "Alexander-"

"I don't know what the goddamn hell is going on, and you do, so why aren't you explaining?" Alex demanded. This caused a sharp shift in Aaron's facial expressions. Suddenly, Alex felt as though he was being pinned under close scrutiny, and he felt entirely uncomfortable with it. The arms crossed against his chest tightened slightly before he forced himself to relax.

"Because you don't listen." Aaron said. His voice wasn't as cautious as it would have been if Alex had approached the topic better. Aaron continued. "You hear what you want to hear."

"Try me." Alex replied, feeling himself tense slightly in agitation. He refused to exhert it as he usually did, opting to attempt mimicking Aaron's even-tempered image. There was a pause, as though Aaron was trying to gauge Alex's sincerity.

"I act anxious around Jefferson because I am." Aaron eventually sighed, leaning back on his chair. He warily pinched the bridge of his nose. Alex blinked, more surprised than he probably should have been. "Jefferson holds a stupid amount of power, and he hates me. What if I'm  _fired_?"

"That's bullshit, Aaron, and you know it." Alex frowned. Thomas still acted like an asshole, but he wasn't as bad as Lee or Seabury. "You're competent at your job, he wouldn't fire you."

"I know that, but he could." Aaron replied, sounding as though he was exhausted with Alex's lack of comprehension. He supposed the exasperation, whilst bewildering, wasn't completely random; Alex couldn't understand Aaron's line of thought process. "What will happen to my daughter? I love my job, I don't want to leave."

"How are you so sure he hates you?" Alex challenged.

"Alexander. Damn near everyone hates me." Aaron said. He had a slight tilt to his lips - wry, as though he was forcing himself to take humor from this instead of something else. "I'm not naive."

"Everyone hates eachother, it's the world of politics." Alex argued. Despite the fact that Aaron was still obviously sceptical, a part of him seemed to slump at Alex's words. He wondered how much of the conversation-bordering-argument was more to do with Aaron's insecurities rather than him being insensitive. "It doesn't explain why you two are suddenly enemies."

Aaron thinned his lips, seemingly unimpressed. "He's jealous."

"Huh?" Alex asked blankly.

"Of me being friends with you." The elaboration was terse. Aaron sighed, plucking a pen from his desk and tapping it gently against the desk. "Did you know that James asked me how close we were?"

Alex offered with a half-shrug, "Maybe he's after you?" In response, Aaron sent a withering glare in his direction, clicking the pen harshly before sharply setting it flat against the desk. Alex shrugged again. "Okay, we'll scratch that idea for now. There's probably a different reason."

"There isn't." A brief pause followed before Aaron offered a slight smile. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Wait, that was yelling?" Alex immediately asked before he could stop himself. Aaron merely looked at him in response, as though Alex was asking the obvious, and he couldn't quite decipher whether Alex was being dense on purpose or it was a gift that came naturally. He decided to exhibit some of his magnanimity by ignoring the look. "Friends?"

"Friends." Aaron confirmed.

Alex opted to make his way to the door. It was better to leave early than overstay his welcome, especially when it came to a quite firmly introverted Aaron Burr. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "I'm telling John about Madison asking you questions."

Aaron groaned, placing his head in his hands. Mournfully, he lamented, "It's bad enough being called ' _Burrtiful'_."

He huffed a laugh, closing the door behind him and began the walk to his office. He allowed his thoughts to drift to the argument, to Aaron's initial reactions and to his responses. He wasn't particularly prone to in-depth self reflection; it always felt too messy, and never perfectly accurate due to his subconscious inclination to bias.

He considered himself relatively lucky since he was able to at least grant some semblance of  _'let's-not-freak-the-fuck-out'_  to the conversation, despite it usually being Aaron's role in the conversation.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by his phone. The only people he could think of that called during office hours were Peggy and John - and usually to complain about how attractive other people were. However, they more often had the dignity to wait a handful of hours and at least pretend like they were working.

He noted the identification with some surprise. Hesitantly, he asked, "Herc?"

Alex strained to hear what was going on. Regardless of being in the middle of the corridor, he had paused, holding his phone and listening to muffled conversation.  _Pocket dial_ , his brain helpfully supplied. With a small sigh, he moved his phone back to hang up, but at the same time, there was a sudden answer.

"Oh, sorry, Alexander, that was pocket dial." Hercules needlessly explained, sounding rather embarrassed. Alex felt oddly impatient, a feeling he couldn't quite place but he knew was certainly potent. He briefly entertained the idea of him still holding frustration at Aaron before dismissing that. "You busy?"

"Not really, why?"

"Just wondering." Hercules answered, sounding vaguely defensive, as though Alex had tried to accuse him of something. Alex's brows furrowed, firmly ignoring the urge to hang up. The conversation was stilted to the point where it was painful, yet Hercules seemed insistant on continuing it. "Are you still with - you know...?"

Hercules sounded genuinely curious, as though Alex's response mattered. Without much ceremony, he answered, "Yep."

A heavy sigh.

Alex knew what words were coming next before Hercules vocalised them.

"Alex, you can talk to me." His voice was earnest, and Alex believed him but he couldn't open up to Hercules the same way he could when he was younger. He felt an odd bitterness swell, blocking part of his throat.

"Can I?" Silence answered him. This seemed to encourage Alex to continue. "You've fucked off with your own life, y'know, it's hard to open up to someone who's basically a stranger."

Alex regretted the words as soon as he said them but he couldn't take them back because he was right. There was an undeniable rift between him and Hercules and he didn't know what to do about this.

"We're not twenty anymore, Alexander." Hercules reminded him patiently, though his voice had developed an unusual flatness. "God, I have my own business, I'm working off a mortgage, I'm engaged-"

"You're - what?" Alex sharply interrupted.

There was a pause. "You didn't know?"

"You didn't tell me." Alex corrected firmly. He stared at a piece of paint that was beginning to peel. He didn't reach out and touch it, merely regarding the fragmented edges.

"Oh." Hercules said flatly.

The silence that fell was suffocating. Alex didn't want it to bother him, but the fact that someone he used to consider his best friend was engaged and had forgotten to tell Alex about it was stuck on replay and he couldn't hit pause. Hercules sighed. "This is it, huh?"

Alex closed his eyes, drawing in breath and releasing it slowly. He rested his back against the wall. "I think it might be."

Softly, "Damn."

The conversation was at a halt and yet Alex didn't hang up. It felt wrong to do so, and yet he had to. He wasn't sure how many minutes of silence passed but it was enough for Hercules to hang up and Alex was left listening to an unmoving corridor. He directed his attention away from his phone, opting to remove the small section of peeling paint. Quietly, he pocketed his phone, and walked back to his office.

He felt oddly disjointed, mind running unusually slow to the point where it could be described as sluggish. Dully, he checked to make sure that the phone call actually happened. 

(It had.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit for fixing typos because god...so many...
> 
> Another edit, same reason


	2. Letting the Water Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably going to be like Heroes (the series): starts off good, gets gradually worse, but you stick with it because damn it you started it, you have to complete it.
> 
> This chapter is shit
> 
> Also my asexual ass writes friendships ten times better than relationships which is sad
> 
> Sorry for taking years to update

Later that day, Alex emailed Madison to say that he was sick and wouldn't go to work the following day. There was no doubt in his mind that Madison wouldn't see past this and want to call him out on his bullshit, but Madison had never enjoyed starting conflict, so Alex considered himself relatively safe.

As unhealthy as it was, he spent the entire night nursing a previously neglected bottle of red wine that he had gotten from Aaron as a house warming gift. Somewhere in the night, he had the genius idea to reread all of the texts between him, Hercules and Lafayette.

It was a stupid idea, and only served to make Alex feel shitter than before. The wine wasn't helping either, and neither was drinking alone. He was sure that if he called Peggy, Aaron, or John, all three would immediately appear to help, but he just wanted to be alone.

Halfway through the bottle, he was tempted to call Hercules back just to shout about nothing for a while. Instead, in a moment of sudden anger, he deleted both Hercules's number, and all the phone calls and texts sent between them.

This briefly, and admittedly vindictively, made him feel better before he was hit with a remorse so strong he gasped at the force of it. It felt like a mistake, and if he was able to acknowledge this in his half drunk state, sober him would be far, far worse. His hands were shaking slightly as he swiped for any sign of undoing his decision because the sheer  _finality_  of the entire situation was just too much.

When he found none, he threw his phone across the room and listened to the ominous crack. He was too drunk to care, regarding it wearily from the other side of his room, taking a long swig from his wine bottle.

Momentarily, he entertained the idea of crossing over to his phone and searching online to see if there was any way to fix the mistake, but it was a passing idea that didn't make roots. Alex was  _tired_ , the type of bone-deep exhaustion that only came from being emotionally drained.

Rather bitterly, he supposed that it probably didn't matter to Hercules. For one, he was engaged, and had a life that Alex wasn't a part of. Alex had passed the age of thirty years. When he was younger, he had expected his life to be so much different at the age of thirty; to be married, to have children and maintain a job with the friends that he had made when he was nineteen.

Instead, however, he considered himself something of a perpetually single spinster living in a house that was too big for him whilst the entire world changing and he couldn't change with it.

If he talked to Aaron, Alex was sure he could empathize. At the same time, Aaron had his daughter to think of, and a brief glance at the alarm clock promptly told him how bad of an idea this was. Twenty minutes past midnight was hardly the most opportune moment for Alex to drunkenly bitch about the entirety of his life.

He wasn't a child, he should be able to deal with this by himself. He had suffered worse losses and been through hell and back. One deteriorated friendship shouldn't make him want to become a social recluse and never see sunlight again.

Yet regardless of logic it made him feel like a hollow shell, and the wine bottle was looking dauntingly close to empty. He finished it with a sigh, and discarded the bottle with no ceremony whatsoever.

The next morning, Alex woke up to a pounding headache and an uncomfortable numbness that seemed to spread from his chest to his throat. He gingerly raised a hand to the afflicted areas, but the tension didn't relax, and he was left feeling far more tired than logically possible.

By a small mercy, he was able to fall back into a short sleep that was disturbed by him almost falling out of his bed. The headache had somewhat abated by then, easing into something more manageable.

Alex reached for where his phone usually was before remembering that he had thrown it across the room with more force expected. For a second, he wondered if he should just leave it there, or better yet, completely destroy it. Though, he recalled the last time he had acted on impulse alone, and winced.

At least he didn't think to delete all the images remotely associated with his old friends.

The damage was minimal - one long, diagonal crack and a handful of other breaks jaggedly spinning from it. His phone still turned on, so at least his life had decided against completely fucking him over. He paused for a second, turning it over in his hands.

By some miracle, he had been able to sleep through seven phone calls - four from Aaron, two from John, and one from Peggy. He had also received an alarming amount of text messages that were mostly Aaron asking him where he was and if he was okay, and John wondering if he needed to arrange Alex's obituary.

He opted to send short replies to all three. Peggy reacted quickest, and mere seconds later, her name was shown as caller ID. Instead of answering like he normally would, he completely powered off his phone. Maybe he would regret it later, but right now, Alex didn't care.

He wasn't hungry, so he chose to ignore healthy lifestyles and skip breakfast - or early lunch, depending on who was asked - in favor of beginning a sustenance on coffee alone. Aaron would undoubtedly frown upon it, but John would likely join in, so Alex supposed that they cancelled eachother out.

Thomas would probaby act like a judgemental bastard, raising his eyebrows and thinning his lips, but he wouldn't argue if Alex decided to share some of his coffee because he was a complete and utter hypocrite. Though, Alex reasoned that Thomas's opinion wouldn't matter since he'd also pretend that Alex's choice in coffee was also a death sentence. 

This actually got him to form some semblance of a smile before he stupidly reminded himself that Hercules would say that his coffee was bitter as hell. The slight good mood was suddenly thrown and he poured the rest of his coffee down the drain.

The entire situation made him feel rather useless. Thanks to his actions earlier that day, he wouldn't be able to talk to Hercules, though it wasn't as though he had much to say. As appealing as it seemed right now, wasting an entire day doing nothing would likely serve to agitate him further.

It already  _was_ ; he had thown away the entire morning doing meaningless things to keep himself at least partially occupied, but there was only so many times he could arrange the books on his shelves, and by the ninth time he was tempted to arrange them by the number of pages.

Regardless of the distractions he placed in front of himself, one continued to appear. Alex needed a change. Normally, he would be opposed - there were already so many things to adapt to without adding to them.

Yet, the idea was still there, pressing down until his resolve snapped into place and he finally did something about it. An hour later, he was done. It was as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders - as stark and glaringly obvious as it was, it felt good to take control and do something different.

Alex wasn't stupid enough to try and steal another day out of work, even if a deeply rooted exhaustion called for it. Madison had already shown a leniency that he was likely uninclined to extend again, so he was back to the usual routine - wake up early, attempt to replace his blood with caffeine, and return to the hell cleverly disguised as work.

He dawdled for longer than necessary, but truly didn't give enough of a fuck to care, even as he watched his bus leave seconds after it came into view. There would be another one in fifteen minutes, and the wait would hardly faze him. He took the time to reply to the messages that Aaron and John sent him, and added that he would be late without giving much of a reason.

If pressed, Alex was sure  _midlife crisis_  was an astute enough answer. 

When he entered the White House, he garnered several strange looks. Seabury didn't seem to notice him until he did, and promptly choked on air, glasses falling off his face and almost landing in his tea. Alex didn't try to not show his grin, because regardless of how shitty everything was right now, causing Seabury a headache would always hold some sort of amusement.

Peggy, like Seabury, didn't notice him for several seconds. She seemed to be going to a different floor to exchange files, if the tightness of her jaw and the fact that she was muttering, ' _Charles Lee can go fuck himself_ ' under her breath. When Alex entered the elevator, she barely glanced at him.

Then, her brows furrowed and she stared. She stared long enough for Alex to feel rather unsettled and for them to pass a floor. Then, she seemed to throw caution into the wind by saying, "Alexander?"

Alex felt his eyebrows raise. "Miss Schuyler?"

She continued to stare at him. Then, with a rather exaggerated air of caution, she reached her hand out to touch him as though checking that he was real, but stopped when Alex's expression changed into alarm. Wide-eyed, she said, "It appears you have misplaced the majority of your hair."

"Holy shit, I genuinely had no idea." Alex deadpanned. The elevator halted to their floor, and both exited. Peggy still seemed in shock, so Alex tried again. "Peggy, do you know where it is?"

"Very funny." She sniffed, waspish, finally snapped out of her astonishment. Alex was given an appraising look, and she crossed her arms. "I'm not sure I like it. It's different."

Alex wasn't sure if he liked it either, but it was supposed to be different. Having short hair was not something he would be used to any time soon, and his habit of adjusting the way he tied his hair would be gone. He was saved from a response when Aaron approached.

Aaron was able to recognise him immediately, but his expression changed into one that spoke of many, many hardships that he couldn't begin to explain. "What type of illness are you going to use? The one that inexplicably causes you to purchase a haircut?"

Aaron was joking, and this was still a concept so foreign that Alex adopted Peggy's previously astonished expression. Peggy bought him some time to recover. "The condition stumps doctors and barbers alike."

"This will go one of two ways." Aaron said in his usual long-suffering tone. "You will either be put on paper duty for two months for lying, or Jefferson will be so shocked he completely forgets about revenge."

"Jefferson never forgets about revenge." Alex pointed out, automatically starting to adjust his hair before remembering that he had a haircut. Peggy snorted at Alex's briefly confused look. "My money is firmly on him being a dick about it."

"He's always a dick." Peggy shook her head. "The question is, what type of dick?"

Alex didn't  _giggle_  because he wasn't a ten year old girl with her first crush, but it was pretty damn close. His laughter only worsened when Aaron made a sound that indicated deeply routed agony, and Peggy joined in, shoulders shaking. He sobered just barely enough to add, "I can tell you, if you want."

Peggy was reduced to wheezing. Aaron was clearly unamused by their immaturity, but their cheerfulness caused him to crack a tiny smile. "Please, dear God, I'm too tired to deal with a mental scar on a Tuesday morning."

"Do you think we'll be able to pass you off as an evil twin?" Peggy asked. They walked towards John's office, seemingly on autopilot. She didn't pause when passing Lee's office, and Alex didn't blame her.

"I  _am_  the evil twin." Alex muttered, yet was completely ignored save from Aaron's heavy sigh. Slightly uncalled for, but Alex was used to his sense of humor being underappreciated. The interaction with Peggy and Aaron did put him in a far better mood than before, but a rather pessimistic part if Alex knew that as soon as they were back to working, and Alex was without a distraction, it would return.

When Aaron knocked John's office frame and John got up to reply, he took a physical step back, mouth ajar and gaping at Alex. He glanced at Peggy, as though asking if she saw it to. He eventually gasped, "Holy fuck, Alex, someone stole your hair!"

This set the theme of the conversation. In a rather aimless yet animated discussion, the four were able to deduce that James Madison was the culprit for motives unknown. Alex wasn't sure how they made that leap, but when Peggy suggested it, John agreed quickly and with such conviction Alex decided to accept it as fact.

Occasionally, through the conversation, he would feel his mood crash. It didn't hold much pattern, continuing to be sporadic, but each time was potent and left him with whiplash. Aaron had unsurprisingly noticed, and would clear his throat and say something outlandish to immediately draw attention to him and away from Alex.

It was rather overt and left Alex feeling vaguely guilty for reasons he couldn't identify, but at the same time, Aaron's attempt was comforting. It afforded Alex the liberty of avoiding pointed questions and worried looks.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Alex was back in his office, head on his desk and wondering about what would happen next. He was neglecting his work quite spectacularly and truly couldn't be bothered to change that. At some point, he knew either Thomas or Madison (likely sent by Thomas) would question him about having a day off. Truthfully, he would prefer the latter; Madison tended not to call him out on his bullshit, and had didn't have the same reputation of persistently irritating people until they snapped.

Fortune wasn't smiling on him today. Thomas decided to forego knocking - or showing a professional amount of respect or awareness of social normailities. He walked into Alex's office as though he belonged there, but his steps faltered when he noted the change in Alex's appearance. His eyebrows flew up, but he didn't mention it, or bother greeting Alex. "You never take days off. What did you do to make yourself take a day off? Have an existential crisis?"

"Get drunk and cry myself to sleep." Alex answered blithely, and half of it was truth. He had dealt with the aftermath of drinking yesterday, but some of his hangover symptoms seemed to perk up because Alex just _knew_ Thomas would be difficult. Normally, he wouldn't care, but Alex couldn't deal with it today.

"You're in a weird mood." Thomas said slowly, frowning, crossing his arms. "I don't like people in weird moods, maybe you should go home."

Maybe there was another hidden meaning to Thomas telling him to go back home, but all Alex could interpret was the idea that he was acting incompetent and therefore not of use. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I'm paid to do my job."

Thomas's expression briefly flicked to one of slight agitation when Alex addressed him with the formality. Alex decided to heed it no extra attention, and at Alex's nonverbal dismissal, Thomas raised his eyebrows.

"Damn, seems like someone isn't a morning person." Thomas mused, because he was an idiot who didn't know when he should just shut up and leave people alone. Alex narrowed his eyes, a firm rebuttal seconds away from being used, but Thomas was leaving.

It left Alex with a rather unsettled feeling, as though he had just revealed too much but still had information to give. For a moment, he entertained the idea of going after Thomas and loudly shouting the crudest insults he could think of. This would equate to Thomas knowing that he has, as usual, goaded a reaction from Alex.

Alex wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had gained Alex's attention, so he allowed a few choiced words to be muttered under his breath before he resumed glowering at his desk. Even if he could admit to himself that he was being quicker to anger, he didn't regret his response.

His reply did distract him for the rest of the morning - instead of working (thankfully, he had finished his report on the cabinet meeting but hadn't yet proofread it) like he ought to do, Alex spent a couple of hours sorting through his thoughts, an action he chose rarely and for good reason.

It was why he was almost grateful when lunch break finally skidded by, brining Aaron, Peggy and John to his office. Peggy and John seemed to be arguing, and Aaron, as usual, looked close to tears. John appeared deeply affronted, gesturing frantically to underline his point. "I'm just saying-"

"-Alex can't, so you can't either-" Peggy interrupted, and Alex inwardly groaned at being dragged into the conversation. Aaron caught his eye and nodded once, showing that his exasperation was a shared sentiment.

"-that if I married Jefferson, or Madison, for that matter, my life and workload would be ten times easier." John finished, crossing his arms and glaring at Peggy as though daring her to contradict him. Peggy rolled her eyes, glancing at Alex expectantly.

Alex sighed, tapping his fingers against his desk. "I don't want to talk about that smug twat."

"Give us the details." Peggy immediately grinned, dropping the previous conversation. Alex glared as fiercely as he could, but Peggy hardly blinked, explaining with a shrugged, "I love it when couples fight. They tell the best gossip."

"Chaotic evil." John supplied.

"We aren't a couple." Alex snapped, his voice sounding clipped, strained and slightly off key with deep agitation. Normally, Peggy's curiosity wouldn't faze him, but the last two days had been shit, and he wasn't in the mood to humor her. Defensively, he added, "Jefferson said I was in a weird mood."

"Wait, you acting different wasn't to do with your domestic?" John asked sharply, eyes widening. He shared a look with Peggy.

"I'm not acting different-" A lie, and they all knew it, though nobody bothered to call him out on it, even Peggy, "-and it _wasn't_ a domestic. I just snapped at him a bit. I'm allowed to have bad days, damn."

Alex thinned his lips at the expression that Peggy gave him - one of deep evaluation, roughly scratching against his already frayed nerves. Peggy didn't seem to care about the agitation she was causing, and pushed with a blithely cheerful, "So, you're being petty."

Alex glared at Peggy. Aaron grimaced, glancing between them. Hesitantly, he offered, "I mean, maybe it would be best if you planned to keep a more levelled head..."

"Jefferson's an ass, he has no right to judge Alex." John frowned, and Alex raised his eyebrows, surprised at the support. John looked innocently as he continued, "That's officially our job, as your friends. What's up with you, man?"

"Nothing." Alex insisted, ignoring the rather loud mutter of disbelief Peggy replied with. John continued to frown at him, evidently sharing but not vocalising Peggy's sentiments. For a few seconds, the room fell into an awkward silence that Alex refused to break.

"So." Aaron said loudly, trying his best to offer a light smile despite the palpable tension in the room. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, glancing cautiously between each face. "Pens sure are interesting, huh? Really ink-readible."

A silence followed, in which all turned to stare at Aaron. He was wearing a genuine smile that turned into a slight grin when he sensed that his pun was causing them all pain. Aaron's grinning only broadened when Alex decided to join in. "Don't get me started about white boards, they're remarkable."

"My ears!" John dramatically wailed over Aaron's laughter, hands flying to the sides of his head, sinking to his knees. He continued the act by pretending to wipe away tears, glaring at Alex in accusation, but the rather overt smile he was wearing gave him away.

"Aaron has an excuse, he's a dad, and therefore has a license to tell shitty puns." Peggy sighed, shaking her head. She preceded to look at Alex with such disappointment that Alex was sure she was channelling her older sister's spirit "I expected better from you, Alexander."

"And - and _pencils_ -" Aaron attempted to start, valiantly battling his laughter but ultimately failing. He let out a final expressive statement of, " _Pencils_."

Alex snorted. "Descriptive, Aaron."

"Who knew puns could make Aaron completely lose his shit?" Peggy wondered outloud, poking Aaron's shoulders with an air of scientific curiosity. Aaron was too busy wheezing from his bout of laughter to defend himself. "I wonder if we could use it against him."

"His puns are a crime against humanity. I don't really want to get him fired... or shot." John said. His brows furrowed. "At least Alex is cheered up."

"I don't need to be cheered up, I'm fine." Alex sniffed, sounding vaguely miffed. "I'm very fine. The finest in the world. So fine, it's unreal."

"I want you to think real hard about what you're saying, Alex." John dragged his words out with a deeply exaggerated caution. Alex rolled his eyes, flicking a dismissive hand. "What's going on, though? I mean, we all kinda assumed it was something to do with Jefferson, but now..."

"I offered to kill him." Peggy added importantly, as though Alex was supposed to praise her for the immediate jump to violence.

"Just a bad day." Alex shrugged, and though the sentence sounded false and unnatural, the others seemed to accept this as an answer. Aaron hesitated for a second or so with an inquisitive lilt to his expression, but he seemed to snap out of whatever questions were going through his mind.

Peggy soundlessly reached forward to touch his hair. "It's weird. It's like that time you wore your glasses."

"And Lee walked into a door." Aaron's lips quirked up at the memory.

"You have glasses?" John asked, glancing at Alex in surprise. In response, Alex pulled open the top draw of his desk, retrieving the small blue box and pressing it open. Without much ceremony, he placed them on.

Whilst this did help his vision - he could actually see the finer details of a painting that Alex's predecessor left behind that he never bothered to remove - it also helped make him feel twenty years older than he actually was.

John was squinting at him. "The fuck?"

"Thanks." Alex replied. For dramatic effect, and to see the expressions that the other three would pull, he pushed his glasses so he would have to look over the frame and wiggled his eyebrows.

Aaron sighed. "No. Just - just _no_ , Alex."

Peggy looked at him as though he had just threatened her with a sharp knife. John, however, looked as though Alex had stabbed him with said knife. Alex grinned brightly, pleased with the reactions he received. In response, Peggy lightly swatted him over the head with a book.

Alex huffed a laugh, swatting the book away from his face. Peggy grudgingly stopped her assault, though not before giving Alex a warning look. "If you're happy enough to do - whatever the fuck that was, then you're good enough to fix whatever you said to Jefferson."

Alex scrunched up his face. "Just because _he_ has the emotional maturity of a toddler-"

"Hypocrisy." Peggy muttered.

"Peggy." Aaron warned, shooting her a look.

"-doesn't mean I have to deal with it." Alex finished, unperturbed by his interruptions. He wasn't entirely sure where the rest of his sentiment would go, but he finished it nonetheless. "He shouldn't be so offended, they're just words."

"So you _did_ say something." John said loudly, eyes wide. He glanced at Peggy who raised her eyebrows in response, as though asking how John expected anything else. "Guess I owe you a drink, Peggy."

"You're the person who made Aaron cry because he said your financial plan was flawed." Peggy pointed out. "That was like, six months ago, too. Where does your whole _'just words_ ' philosophy come into that?"

"I didn't cry." Aaron objected.

"I apologized afterwards!" Alex added.

Peggy didn't look remotely moved by his protest. "How much of that was Eliza's influence?"

"Most of it." Alex allowed after a pause. At Peggy's sceptical eyebrow raise and Aaron's look of offence, he hastened to add, "Some of it was to do with the fact that I knew Aaron would sulk. Or ignore me, at least."

"I do that anyway." Aaron muttered.

"No, you don't." Alex said. "You love me too much to deprive yourself of my presence."

"You need to kiss and make up with Jefferson." Peggy interrupted before Aaron could explain just how wrong Alex was - that, or send Alex a less confrontational look of utter bewilderment. "You know how difficult he gets when he's pissed off."

"For the greater good, Alex." John said solemnly, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex rolled his eyes, moving out of John's way and dismissing the look of mock offence he was given in response.

"I'm not going to make up with him just because he's in a bad mood." Alex replied firmly. After a second or so of consideration, he added, "I might talk to him later. In my defense, he bothered me _really_ early in the morning."

"Make sure you actually want to talk to him if you do. We don't want you getting fired over using a rather unsavoury epithet." Aaron said, frowning at Alex.

" _Unsavoury epithet_." John parroted. Aaron sighed, shaking his head mutely in response. John nudged him with his shoulder, grinning brightly. "What century did you jump out of?"

The conversation flowed easier after that. Thankfully, nobody decided to bring attention to Alex's previously bad mood, or the notion that Alex would eventually have to approach Thomas and sort out whatever had offended him this time.

Normally, on at least some level, Alex would admit that Thomas's anger at him would be somewhat justified. This time, however, Alex felt as though Thomas was being petty - more so than usual.

Though, for reasons completely beyond Alex, he didn't particularly want Thomas to be in a prissy mood, especially because of him, even if Alex knew full well Thomas was being a dumbass. He wasn't going to apologize just because he hurt someone's feelings, even if it would be easier. It just wasn't in his nature.

 

 

 

**< <<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>>**

 

 

 

Later that day - into the evening, around the time that even Alex would call it a day, pack up, and leave. A slight darkness was forming around his office, earlier than usual, especially considering the fact that it was no longer winter. He crossed his arms, walking down the deserted corridors. 

Nobody else had opted to stay behind, at least, on Alex's floor. He knew from experience that Thomas would always be the last person to leave. As much as Alex loathed to admit it, Thomas did work hard, even if Alex believed the goals he set were rather debatable.

He approached the ajar office door, not knocking, and leaned against the frame.

Thomas was sat at his desk, his laptop uncharacteristically out of sight. Instead, he was frowning down at a sheet of paper, not glancing up when the door made a small squeak in protest at Alex's weight.

Alex stood there for a second or so, surprisingly content with watching Thomas's expressions change as he worked. Eventually, Thomas huffed, throwing his pen down and looking up at Alex. He didn't seem startled to notice his arrival. "Alexander."

"Thomas." Alex replied, not moving from where he was situated. Both continued to watch eachother, Alex significantly more wary. Almost hesitantly, he asked, "Did I hurt all four of your feelings earlier?"

Thomas didn't take offence to this. He gave Alex a glare, but the corners of his lips quirked up in concealed amusement. He replied with a derisive scoff. "Don't be ridiculous, I don't have  _feelings_."

"You do, you know." Alex said. His voice sounded rather loud, causing him to inwardly wince. Thomas raised an eyebrow, evidently unimpressed, but for some reason Alex felt the need to press the topic. "You care a lot, even if you like to pretend you don't."

"Okay, what happened with you? Have you replaced?" Thomas placed his hands flat on his desk, promptly neglecting the file placed in front of him in favor of giving Alex a deeply suspicious look. "Before you say  _nothing_ , something made you have a midlife crisis and get a haircut."

"Maybe I woke up like this." Alex offered.

Thomas didn't sigh, but it was obviously a close battle. He fixed Alex with a rather bank, impassive expression. "Don't even try to insult my intelligence, Alexander. Inside or outside of work?"

"Outside." Alex said after a few seconds of pause. Thomas seemed to genuinely care about the response, and his shoulders eased somewhat from the tension. Alex pointedly raised an eyebrow. "It's nice to know you care. What made you pissed?"

"Apart from your charming morning demeanour?" Thomas inquired, lips curling into a slight smirk when Alex narrowed his eyes. Then, completely unaffected, as though they were making polite small talk, Thomas added, "Yesterday, my father decided that it was best to make sure I understood how much of a disappointment I am."

Alex winced. He knew what the social norm was - to offer some sort of reassurance or apology - but he couldn't quite form words that felt right. Asides from the increase in irritability, Thomas didn't seem particularly affected.

Suddenly Alexwas struck with how  _little_  he knew about Thomas. Yet, despite the unusally complicated nature of whatever the fuck was going on between them, and that Alex was as socially apt as a brick wall, Thomas had chosen to talk to him about what had been bothering, regardless of how small the gesture seemed to Thomas.

He cleared his throat, before backtracking. Thomas's expression was increasingly amused, somehow enjoying Alex's discomfort. Alex tried again. "Do you remember Hercules Mulligan?"

"I think so." Thomas mused, frowning. He regarded Alex carefully, expression blank. "Did he come to Washington's office party?"

"Yes." Alex thinned his lips, tapping his foot against the floor, inwardly differentiating between which method was best. Being overly cautious and taking time with his words was not only uncharacteristic, but also disliked by Thomas. He opted to be as blunt as quick as possible. "I used to live with him a while back, since he is - was - my best friend."

"Was." Thomas repeated.

"Was." Alex agreed. He glanced down at his feet, crossing his arms. The feeling of being exposed and honest, left out in the open, was completely unfamiliar. He kept himself besides the doorframe, glancing backwards and checking to see if anyone else had seen him vulnerable.

Thomas kept rather quiet. Alex wasn't quite sure how to break the silence either. As uncomfortable as telling Thomas about Hercules was, it immediately felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulder. Thomas slowly asked, "Want to talk about it?"

Alex hesitated, looking blankly at Thomas. On some distant level, he was aware of the words that had just been said, but the idea that  _Thomas Jefferson_  was attempting to  _console_  him seemed too distant to be true. When Thomas's expression didn't change from vague discomfort, Alex laughed. "God, no."

The deeply indignant look on Thomas's face only made the situation funnier. He placed his hands flat against his desk, narrowing his lips and tilting his head slightly to stare at Alex. "Are you laughing at me?"

"I'd never." Alex responded dryly, but the wide grin across his face. Thomas glared at him for as long as he could before his glare softened into a tiny smile. "It's a nice offer, if it helps."

"I'll take that as a lesson to never be nice to you again." Thomas rolled his eyes, putting on an affronted air. "Did you honestly stay one hour behind work to see if you had offended me beyond repair?"

"No." Alex scoffed, then paused. "Maybe, but it's not because I like you."

"Aw." Thomas smirked. "You love me."

The look Alex gave Thomas in reponse was one of pure, unadulterated disdain. Thomas's smirk merely broadened into a smile, one that lit up his eyes, and he looked stupidly, inexplicably proud of himself. Alex had hoped that his reaction was enough of an asseveration to express how severly unimpressed he was. Though, it was difficult to maintain that level of disappointment at how blithely cheerful Thomas appeared.

As loathe as he was to risk causing tension when this moment felt so laxed and natural, he frowned. "Why do you have a problem with Aaron?"

This quickly caused Thomas to tense. Alex inwardly winced at the sharp change in demeanour. Thomas met his eyes directly, and for some reason, it felt as though he was being challenged. "Why don't you talk to me like you used to?"

"Quid pro quo." Alex replied tersely.

"Fine." Thomas agreed. His eyes remained on Alex for a second or so before he glanced back to the abandoned paper on his desk. "When you talk to Burr, you don't hold back. You're far more honest with him than with me." The sight lilt to his lips was self deprecating. "Fuck it, I've actually missed our arguments."

Alex felt his brows furrow. "We argue."

"Not as often, and you're far more reserved." Thomas didn't sigh, but it was evidently a close call. Rather belatedly, Alex realised that he had just missed an obvious point.

"You dislike Aaron because I'm an abrasive asshole to him, and not with you." Alex stated slowly.

Again, Alex was given a look that indicated he had not noticed something conspicuous. "I want you to talk to me like I'm a human being and not someone you'd rather jump out a window than talk to."

Thomas did have a point. Though, rather defensively, Alex pointed out, "You got a kick out of your weird superiority complex."

"I did." Thomas allowed, seemingly begrudging. Alex raised an eyebrow but didn't mention the tone, instead waiting for the conversation to continue. "How else was I supposed to get your attention?"

This, on some level, explained certain moments.

Alex immediately thought of the sheer amount of times he was required to resort his old financial plan, and the hours spent doing so. Granted, he was able to acknowledge that irritating Alex had been the only way to get his attention since Alex was still nursing injuries from the previous rejection of developing a relationship. He scowled. "There was no need to be such a dick about it."

Thomas didn't contradict the comment, which was as good an apology as he was going to get. Thankfully, Thomas had forgotten that he had asked his own question, one that Alex would rather not answer. Either that, or Thomas had picked up on his discomfort at the impending demand of an answer and chose to let it be.

"Short hair suits you." Thomas said, seemingly at random and Alex was temporarily frown by the change in discussion. "It makes your jaw look sharper."

"That was a compliment." Alex obeserved. 

"Don't get used to it." Thomas's reply was curt. His response was perhaps sharper than Alex would have estimated, which meant that he was either angry or embarrassed. Judging by the slight rise of color to his cheeks, Alex would guess the latter, and that Thomas had not fully intended to say this out loud.

Alex couldn't help but find that Thomas was acting rather endearing.

In attempts to salvage his supposedly lost dignity, Thomas returned to his files, lips thinned and suddenly closed from the conversation. Despite his obvious intention to pretend that this had never happened and push it from his memory, Alex still found Thomas's reaction to cause affectionate amusement.

Thomas, sensing that Alex was humoured, decided that pretending nothing had happened wouldn't work and glared at him. Alex bit back a stupid smile - because he  _was_  acting stupid, completely ridiculous - and decided that crossing the room was a good choice, as well as pressing his lips against Thomas's.

The angle was awkward and Alex wasn't entirely sure where to position himself, but the moment was so damn soft that something in his chest  _ached_.

Thomas reacted quicker than expected, evidently predicting Alex's movemens, and Alex was soon positioned so that he was straddling Thomas's thighs, their chests pressed flush, and his hands against Thomas's shoulders to keep himself relatively secured.

The kiss, compared to their previous ones, was chaste and gentle. Thomas's hand had moved beneath his shirt and up his back, causing Alex to arch his back and press himself closer. Thomas took this as an opportunity to deepen the kiss, mouth parting against Alex's.

Alex allowed himself to melt against Thomas, his pulse picking up significantly despite the almost languid pace. Thomas's hand rested against the small of Alex's back, licking into Alex's mouth. In response, Alex moved his hips forward to press against Thomas's, allowing friction that made Thomas's breath hitch.

He decided to count that as a victory, regardless of how small it seemed. As a response, Thomas brought his free hand to still his hips and caught Alex's lower lip between his teeth with enough pressure that it was clear Alex was given a warning.

Though, it didn't stop Alex from letting out an unbidden gasp, one which caused Thomas to smirk against his lips. When they parted for air, Alex focused on moving his hands, mapping out slim muscles. Heat was beginning to pool in his stomach, and his focus on anything other than Thomas was wavering.

He pressed a soft, subdubed kiss against Thomas's lips before moving, detatching himself from Thomas's warmth before sinking to his knees. Thomas's eyes didn't leave him as he moved, and when Alex settled, he placed his hand against Alex's cheek, the rough pad of his thumb tracing Alex's lips.

"Have you done this before?" Thomas asked, and for some reason, Alex was struck by the idea that this was oddly domestic when coupled with the familiar intimacy.

"I know what I'm doing." Alex replied, which wasn't particularly an answer yet still carried the fact that he  _hadn't_  across. Thomas raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his answer, so Alex continued. "Don't give me that look, I'm old enough to know how to give someone a blowjob."

"Then you'll know not to act like a dumbass and make yourself choke." Thomas responsed tersely, tapping his fingers against Alex's jaw.

"You'd like it if I did." Alex said.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't want to cause your death." Thomas muttered, which was likely one of the nicest things Thomas had ever said to him. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "It'd also be rather difficult to explain."

Alex grinned. "That wasn't a no."

"It wasn't." Thomas agreed. "Though, you're too stubborn to notice when you're dying, so not today."

Alex decided to take Thomas's reluctance as a positive, even though he was slightly insulted by the fact that Thomas doubted his capabilities regardless of how well founded they were. Despite himself, his lack of experience was in the forefront of his mind, even as he undid Thomas's belt.

Thomas's hand found Alex's hair, and he paused, a slight warmth flooding to his face. Unfortunately, this was sharply noticed.

"This is new." Thomas mused. Then, almost experimentally, he pulled, and Alex moved to accommodate the action, his cheeks heating moreso at how the liquid spooling low in his stomach tightened like a coil before easing. Thomas smirked at the gasp that Alex had tried not to make. "Why am I not surprised?"

Aex shifted backwards, indignant, but still flushed at how smug Thomas seemed at the discovery. "You have a choking kink, don't even try to shame me."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "I'm not shaming anything."

"If you can still speak, I'm doing something wrong." Alex decided. He shifted forwards, putting his weight on his knees to gain more control over his position. Thomas tightened the grip of Alex's hair slightly, and Alex whined, embarrassingly needy. Alex glared. "Do you mind? I'm trying to do something here."

Thomas seemed to think that he was fucking hysterical, smirk broadening even as Alex glared. Though, he did help Alex lower his trousers and boxers slightly, which Alex opted to take as a silent apology even if it probably wasn't.

"Make sure you don't use your teeth." Thomas said, hand still in his hair but not adding pressure, merely a reminding weight. Alex didn't bother with a reply, hesitantly giving a half-hard cock a few strokes and feeling a slight jolt of heady satisfaction when Thomas inhaled sharply.

He kept his eyes on Thomas's face, just to make sure that everything he was doing was correct, though he wasn't particularly concerned about what to do with his hands. Then, maintaining eye contact, he licked the tip of Thomas's cock. Judging by how Thomas's expression darkened, gaze becoming visibly intense, he was doing something right.

He alternated between sucking and licking, adjusting to the rather neutral taste, keeping his hand moving up and down Thomas's length in time with his mouth. He lapped at the underside of Thomas's cock, alongsides a vein and almost mentioned the hiss that Thomas let out.

Instead, he relaxed his throat as much as possible, and took as much of Thomas's cock in his mouth as he could without choking. The hand in his hair flexed but made no effort to push Alex's head down or away. He kept himself still, adapting to the way his jaw stretched and how a circumcised cock felt in his mouth.

"Alex." Thomas said, his voice rough. Alex hummed, primarly to indicate that he was listening, but instead illicited a groan from Thomas. He bobbed his head, watching carefully for a reaction and pleased when he found no negative expression filter across heavy desire.The cock in his mouth was increasingly difficult to maintain the same amount of depth, and Alex was too stubborn to allow the change to detour him. . "Alex, I want you to touch yourself."

Alex let out a noise somewhere between a keen and a groan, the majority of it thankfully lost, but loud enough for Thomas to pick up on it. Cheeks flaming, he complied with the command by palming himself through his trousers. It was difficult to focus on both tasks at once, but he balanced the two as evenly as possible, with each movement of his head being matched by his palm.

The attention to his own cock was enough to make a soft whine build low in his throat. He needed to pace himself - to  _not_  come before Thomas did - and each grind of his palm was enough for him to see white, as though he had been teased for hours and was only now allowed relief.

He focused his efforts on Thomas, learning which areas were most sensitive and he responded to strongest, before repeating the movement with a light trace of his tongue. Thomas was beginning to be more vocal, the moans previously caught now spilling into open air, going straight to Alex's cock and making him feel dizzy with need.

Alex whimpered, too far gone to care about how embarrassing the sound was, eyes closing, and he picked up the pace, feeling his entire body tense.

"Alex -  _fuck_ -" Thomas hissed, a warning that he was about to come, but Alex didn't move back. Hot, salty liquid hit the back of his throat, so he squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed, disregarding how his jaw was beginning to ache, and how the sensation of swallowing come was completely foreign.

His own orgasm was close to follow; as soon as he had leaned back enough for his mouth to leave Thomas's cock, he was coming with a gasp, mind blank and body shuddering as wave after wave of pleasure hit him.

Distantly, he was aware of Thomas recovery, with him adjusting his clothing so that the only way to tell what had just happened was through the scent of sex in the room. His breathing was laboured but levelled out after a minute or so.

"Did I hurt you?" Thomas asked.

"No." Alex replied, voice hoarse. He then paused, because his voice certainly wasn't hoarse beforehand. Gingerly, he reached to touch his neck, surprised at how sore his jaw and throat felt.

Thomas, of course, found this funny, because he enjoyed Alex's suffering and pain. He grinned. "Not only did I get a damn good blowjob, but I also made the great Alexander Hamilton lose his voice."

"This isn't funny." Alex scowled before wincing at the ragged sound of his own voice. Even if Alex could admit that he could see the humorous side to this, he was not going to let Thomas freely mock him for it. "My knees hurt, too."

"You're old." Thomas said with a complete lack of empathy. 

"You're older than I am." Alex returned, wondering how he was going to stand without falling over and loosing all of his dignity. Thomas, thankfully, seemed to have a moral calling, and offered his hand, which Alex grudgingly took. "I blame you for having a very suckable cock."

"You're incredibly stupid, Alexander." Thomas said, his voice warm. He pressed a light kiss against Alex's cheek.

"So are you." Alex muttered, only half-defensive. The sheer fondness  in Thomas's voice was making it rather troublesome to muster up any dislike, even if his knees hurt, his pants were deeply uncomfortable and likely out of commission. "I'm going to go before I completely lose my voice and am therefore defenceless against your evil mocking."

"Stay safe, you idiot." Thomas replied, and Alex could hear the smile that carried through his voice.

 

 

 

**< <<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>>**

 

 

 

It felt as though something Alex couldn't quite describe had shifted in his relationship with Thomas.

They'd still argue and Alex started to notice that Thomas was right. He was automatically more reserved when it came to certain insults that he knew would get an immediate reaction, but Thomas hadn't called him a bastard or mocked him to the point of him completely losing his temper in over six months, so he considered this fact to be mutual progress.

Thomas would visit his office with more frequency, almost once every two days, and the conversation varied from thirty minutes to hours. Once, Aaron had entered during one of their discussions, and instead of suddenly tensing or glaring at the other man, Thomas explained the debate in order to allow Aaron to contribute. Alex unfortunately discovered that Aaron was a traitor, as he decided that he hated Alex and everything he stood for by siding with Thomas.

Though, despite how content he was with everything - with his job, with Thomas and Aaron getting along for once - there was the alarming fact that he could feel himself gain more and more attachment to Thomas. This wasn't unexpected, but it was beginning to get serious enough for Alex to want to go out of his way and be  _nice._  This time, Alex wasn't sure if he could take another rejection, even if he had no plans to come clean and ask for a romantic relationship.

During a Sunday morning, when he had finished blankly staring into his living room and dealing with this existential crisis, Aaron called to insist that they needed to go and try a coffee shop besides his house, mumbling something about getting out of the house. Alex was also apologetically pre-warned that his daughter would be travelling with them, which meant that he couldn't be as free with his words.

This was how he found himself a few miles downtown, surveying some fancy, secluded coffee shop, trying not to laugh at how sheerly dismayed Aaron was by Theodosia's insistence that she needed to add more sugar to her hot chocolate.

"Your hair!" Theodosia exclaimed as soon as he approached, hand flying up to her face to cover her mouth, and Alex was promptly reminded of a scandalized fifteenth century aristocrat. She gasped, glancing at Aaron as though asking if he was seeing the same thing. "Look, his hair is gone!"

"Gremlins took it away because he ate too much sugar." Aaron said. Theodosia paused from where she was adding the contents of a paper packet into her drink, blinking owlishly at Alex, before she decided that it was a worthy cause and resumed what she was doing.

"It was worth a try." Alex's tone was one of mock sympathy. "Let's never introduce her to Peggy, she'd have free reign over her purse."

"Or John." Aaron added, sighing heavily and moving the cups that contained sugar out of Theodosia's reach. He gingerly passed a warm cup into Alex's hands before continuing. "There would be two hyper children that I'd need to look after."

Alex almost grinned. With Peggy, it would be relatively contained; Theodosia would be introduced to the other sisters and likely pseudo-adopted and taught the skills that each Schuyler sister had.

John, however, was likely to voice similar opinions to Theodosia - Alex had  _seen_  him bring in cotton candy before - and the only benefit to this would be gratifying in what would be the most agonizing sugar crash.

"What will our adult conversation be about today?" Alex asked, resting his hands against a coffee that was far too warm to drink. "How Peggy insists that Charles Lee has a crush on John?"

"Do you know why Jefferson is acting... nice?" Aaron asked, brows furrowed, grip on his coffee minutely increasing, as though he was scared the mere mention of someone else's name would bring the person in question to them.

"We had a discussion." Alex simply stated. Judging by the look of horror that passed across Aaron's face, this was the wrong thing to say. Alex rolled his eyes. "We didn't have a tea party and discuss you, Aaron. I actually have a life."

"It's not just me, though." Aaron said, voice lowered. "His mood has gotten better, not just towards me. There's been bets, and - well, half of them are towards you having cancer, the other half towards you two engaged in a  _romantic relationship_."

"You called me up here to gossip?" Alex questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"I've called you here to ask if you're okay." Aaron shook his head, before picking up the sugar containers and frowning at Theodosia. "Your teeth will be harvested by goblins if you keep this up."

"Philip says that goblins aren't real." Theodosia sniffed, hands clasped over one of the ill-gotten sugar packets.

"Philip also says that he lives next doors to Santa, so take his words with a grain of salt." Aaron replied calmly, hand placed flat in front of Theodosia, unwavering until she grudgingly returned the stolen contraband. "You  _are_  okay, Alexander?"

"I am, I've just been thinking..." Alex trailed off, sighing, before continuing. "I really like Thomas, but I can't continue this forever. I want to settle down, preferably with him, but realistically, I'm going to have to look for someone else if I want a serious, monogamous relatioship."

Aaron hummed, indicating that he was listening intently. He was thinking Alex's words over with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, when he ended it between you two, what did he say?"

"He didn't end things." Alex replied, tapping his fingers against the coffee table. "I did. It's also a rather obvious sign that I never learn from my mistakes, since I stopped seeing him because he didn't want to be more serious with me."

"Did he give you a reason?"

"I didn't ask." Alex shrugged. He took a sip of the coffee Aaron bought for him - slightly too sweet, but decent nonetheless. His sudden change in task highlighted the fact that he didn't particularly want to talk about this, so the conversation drifted towards more neutral and child-friendly topics. Theodosia kept relatively quiet, content to sip at her hot chocolate and attempt to steal more sugar whenever she thought her father wasn't looking.

The only time she got away with it was when Alex decided to help her, but almost immediately after she added the sugar in, she gave herself (and consequently Alex) away by giggling, pleased with her own supposed stealth and subtlety.

Even if Aaron glared at Alex, both knew that he wasn't particularly bothered, since Aaron lowered his voice and almost conspiringly informed him there would be an abundance of vegetables later. Then, Aaron leaned back, crossing his arms and looking so fucking  _proud_  of his cunning.

Alex matched his lowered tone and told Aaron that he was being stupid, and Alex wasn't impressed. Aaron didn't seem scarcely put out by Alex's display of exasperation, continuing to grin to himself.

Soon, the subject of work came up, though neither were particularly looking forward to the upcoming cabinet meeting. Regardless of the vast differences twenty years brought them, some things remained the same, one of which was Aaron's distinct dislike towards an unbalance in harmony.

When Alex was younger, this would irritate him to no end, but as he gained years - alongsides Aaron's friendship - he was able to distinguish between wanting to stop arguments and having no beliefs.

Alex was still competitive and abrasive, but at the same time, he was able to temper his words with logic and thought instead of shouting insults. Granted, if someone hit a delicate area or directly insulted someone he cared about, the repercussions would be quick and long lasting.

He paused, backtracked in the coversation he had with Aaron, and frowned. "Half of the White House thinks I'm with him?"

"Ah." Aaron said. "Well, it's purely rumor. I haven't told anyone, John wouldn't, and Peggy keeps the secrets she's trusted with. People are merely picking up on the tension between you two."

"So, currently, it's completely unfounded." Alex's shoulders relaxed slightly. It was a mild surprise that people took an interest in Alex and Thomas's relationship when Lafayette wasn't there to turn the wheels, but at the same time, Thomas was their boss, and a rather overt target.

"I think Madison knows, too." Aaron added. Alex paused. He supposed that it made sense; Madison was Thomas's best friend, and if Alex told John after roughly a week of friendship, it would make sense for Thomas to inform Madison after several years of knowing each other. 

"Madison wouldn't give a fu-" Alex cut himself off sharply, glancing warily at a rather intrigued looking Theodosia, before hastily continuing. "He wouldn't care about what goes on, as long as people aren't upset and the work isn't hindered. Do you think Thomas knows that you three are aware?"

"Me? Definitely." Aaron considered his words, idly twirling the teaspoon in his hand. "I don't think he knows that you're friends with Peggy. I think Jefferson would assume that John would confront him the second conflict starts between you two, so he believes that John doesn't know."

"Are you going to participate in the cabinet meeting?" Alex asked. 

Theodosia glanced up at this, a tiny frown scrunched on her face as she asked Aaron, "Is that the shouty loud thing that you say is very tiring?"

Aaron choked on air. Alex grinned, but sensed that Theodosia would likely take offence to his amusement, so he hid his smile behind his coffee mug. Aaron's attempts at explaining that cabinet meetings were an important part of a democracy soon caused Theodosia to lose interest, and she returned to a slim coloring book with added vigour.

"Maybe, I'm not sure." Aaron eventually answered after he was sure that Theodosia could no longer repeat his words. This was a rather unsurprising response, though he did add, "I probably will, since it's to do with education funding. It's going to be a very opinionated topic, especially since I feel strongly about it."

"I've never seen you get angry." Alex said.

"You don't want to." Aaron replied tersely.

Alex decided to leave the topic of an angered Aaron Burr at that. He was positive that if Aaron so much as raised his voice, the entirety of the White House would lose their shit. He reasoned that the benefit towards being quite and inoffensive was that when he did speak up and voice an opinion, people listened.

The rest of the hour was spent comparing notes, statistics, and ideas. Even if Aaron never speaked up by himself, if he was called upon, he would be able to put up a decent argument. In return, Alex was given the advice to ' _please, don't shout, it doesn't get your point across, it just makes people angry_ '.

Alex supposed that him being quieter, levelled and calm would be the equivalent of Aaron voicing his thoughts, and decided that this was a strategy he could use when a particularly critical meeting came up.

So, with the advice stored and ready to play, Alex watched Aaron and Theodosia leave the cafe. Beforehand, however, Theodosia silently slid a piece of paper to him. When he unfolded it, it was an image of a lopsided, disproportionate stickman with a long ponytail and a rather scruffy beard.

"In case you miss your long hair." Theodosia whispered solemnly. Alex nodded, expression matching Theodosia's serious tone. With that, she smiled cheerfully at her father, before grabbing hold of his hand and leading him to the door. Aaron waved awkwardly over his shoulder before leaving.

Alex grinned brightly at the horrifically drawn picture of him, deciding that it was true, authentic art and as soon as he got to his house, he made sure it was in the pride of place on his fridge.

When outside of work, talking things through with a friend, his entire life didn't appear to be that complicated. The situation between him and Thomas was messy, but seemed clearer with some distance.

What Alex had said was true; he wanted to settle down, to have someone he could spend the rest of his life with, and perhaps marry. The issue was, Thomas didn't seem particularly interested in domestic life, and as stupid as it sounded, Alex couldn't imagine himself staying with anyone else.

At some point, he would have to confront an inevitable ultimatum; either, by some miracle, Thomas suddenly decides he's interested in perusing a romantic relationship with him, or Alex cuts off all ties and pretends the entire situation never happened.

The most realistic (and fucking  _painful_ ) choice would at least give Alex the chance to try and get over Thomas, though past experience spoke of how difficult that would be.

Though, there was no reason for him to make this decision now. Contradictory to his impulsive attitude, Alex would strongly prefer to delay the forthcoming rejection. The first rejection was certainly bad enough.

There had been a long, startled pause, and then a rather blunt line that Alex had taken as ' _I like fucking you, not you as a person_ '. To say that he could remember the days following would be a lie, since he spent most of his time drinking or trying to ignore the fact that anything ever happened.

Sometimes, there were moments where Alex knew that he could play an optimistic role and hope that he had some sort of chance. When Thomas's lips lingered against his own, when there was a compliment offered, and when Thomas had asked him why he didn't stay anymore.

Alex wasn't that oblivious and reality would always make itself known in the end. It was up to Alex to choose if he could be pragmatic about it or opt to be blindsided in the future, like before.

He pushed all thoughts of Thomas from his mind. He needed to focus on the pending cabinet meeting, and not be distracted like last time. He kept himself occupied throughout the rest of the day, focusing on menial domestic tasks like laundry when he got tired of imaging and rephrasing arguments that hadn't even happened.

It felt like he was somewhat wasting a day by directing his attention to chores. Regardless, he was busy throughout the evening, only pausing to haphazardly prepare a dinner that he wasn't entirely sure deserved the title ' _meal_ ', before he zoned out in his living room, suddenly and inexplicably exhausted.

He woke around six in the morning, feeling as though he hadn't slept at all, with his back feeling sore after sleeping in a rather uncomfortable position. Alex stood to his feet, decided that from now on he would sleep in his perfectly good bed, and drearily went about his morning routine.

The bus route went as planned, with him actually catching it and succeeding in looking as unapproachable as possible, which meant that nobody decided to sit next to to him. The minutes passed in relative silence, and Alex was able to pass through security without attempting to physically attack Seabury and his overly prim manner.

He opted to bypass the elevators, concluding that dealing with other people so early in the morning will be one way to guarantee a bad mood. Maybe this was also partially due to Thomas usually occupying the staircase in order to avoid everyone.

However, Thomas wasn't there, most likely because of an upcoming cabinet meeting, and Alex was left with a rather disappointed feeling in his chest. He had an hour to himself for last minute organisation before he left for the meeting, idly hitting a pen against his thigh as he walked.

"Alex!" John shouted, the sound of feet rapidly approaching him. Alex looked over his shoulder, mildly amused to see John keeping a up light jog to reach him. He slowed down, allowing John to catch up. "What's up?"

"The ceiling." Alex automatically answered.

John huffed in response, nudging Alex with his shoulder with more force than expected, then grinned. "You know what I mean."

Alex narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you drunk?"

John paused, grin faltering, shifting his weight awkwardly. Alex blinked, incredulous, before he felt the corners of his lips quirk up in amusement. John returned his smile, eyes slightly unfocused. "You're just jealous I'm having more fun than you are."

"Did you bring enough to share?" Alex asked, pushing John's shoulder to gauge how much he had to drink. John remained relatively still, only moving slightly backwards to accommodate for the pressure on his shoulder.

"I didn't know you'd want some." John shrugged, movements less fluid than usual. "I would've, if you asked."

"We're about to enter." Alex said, holding John's sleeve before he could clumsily walk into the room and give away his state. "Make sure you don't trip over your own feet and for the love of god, act sober."

"I know what I'm doing... I think." John frowned, face scrunching up slightly as he answered an apparent question. Alex rolled his eyes, leading the way through the door, keeping half of his attention towards checking if John's walking was as even as it should be.

Peggy and Aaron were sat opposite eachother, seats empty to Aaron's left. Peggy stood up, pointing at them, as though they couldn't see her. John waved back, far too enthusiastic, which immediately caused Aaron to sigh, hand covering his face as though he couldn't stand to see the sheer altitude of John's stupidity.

Peggy took a second longer to place an explanation to John's merriness, but the second she did, she clapped her hands together, nodding in approval. John seemed to sense Aaron's disappointment and hastily took the seat to Peggy's right.

"Did you really have to sit so closely to the front?" Alex asked, taking his own seat besides Aaron. John was rather decisively not looking at Aaron and consequently Alex, so he appeared to be engaged in an intense staring match with Peggy.

"Peggy's idea, not mine." Aaron shrugged, glancing up the table. "Charles Lee sits at the back, so I'd rather sit here than anywhere close to him. We have... different ideals."

"Lee thinks you're his best friend." Peggy said, a suddenly mischievous lilt to her eyebrows. Aaron's only sufferance was that she lowered her voice so nobody could overhear her. "Aaron, please let me tell him that you hate him. His ego would be bruised beyond repair, and I think we all know what the public opinion of Lee is, so nobody will be too sad."

"That would be a sight." Alex agreed.

"Absolutely not." Aaron insisted, eyes wide. He glanced around them sheepishly, and when nobody appeared remotely interested in the four of them, he leaned forwards. "Making enemies will do you no favours. If you're allied with everyone, you have every advantage."

"Even when you're selling out your morals?" Alex asked, crossing his arms. Aaron winced, expression pinched, so Alex took pity on him. "I understand what you're saying, but there are things I can forgive and things I can't, regardless of how many advantages I'm missing out on."

John kicked him from underneath the table. "One of us is sitting next to Madison and one of us is sitting next to Jefferson."

Alex paused, glancing down the table, only to note that the other side had been completely filled and that they were now waiting on the arrival of Thomas and Madison. Alex exchanged grim looks with John, before nudging Aaron. "We need to swap places. If we don't, Thomas will think I'm trying something when I'm not."

"Oh!" Aaron said, peering around the room as though only just noticing where they were situated. He blinked, glancing at Peggy for confirmation, before nodding. "Of course, just-"

Both Aaron and Alex were startled when the door was opened. John kicked Alex's leg, and when Alex turned to glare, John whispered in a too loud voice, "I think it's too late."

If Alex made it out of this alive, John was going to die.

The customary ' _stand up when the president walks in_ ' was carried out, and Alex distantly wondered that it was a practice to promote tall people running for office. He counted himself lucky that he had made friends with an equally short Peggy.

Thomas's eyes almost immediately found him, and an eyebrow was raised. Alex glanced behind him, sending a baleful glare at a blithely grinning Peggy and rather amused looking John. When he glanced back, Thomas was smiling slightly, glancing between him and Peggy, seemingly guessing what had happened.

"You may be seated." Madison stated, and the room sat down. Peggy, because she had no shame whatsoever, stood noticeably longer than everyone else, drawing all the attention to them, before she calmly took her place.

"I think she planned this." Aaron whispered, eyes wide, as though stunned that Peggy could ever do something so underhand. "The way she's smiling scares me."

"She definitely planned this." Alex muttered under his breath. Peggy made eye contact with him and innocently smiled, as though nothing was wrong with the world, as though Alex currently wasn't sitting in a formal setting besides the man who fucked him on a regular basis. Alex automatically tensed, but he lowered his voice and murmured back as quietly as possible, "Unless you fake a heart attack, there's no way out."

"Why is Burr faking a heart attack?" Thomas asked, his voice surprisingly quiet, though despite his natural and questioning tone, the smirk he was trying to hide indicated that he was deciding to try and piss someone off.

To a degree, it worked; Aaron made a small, dying noise in the back of his throat, whereas Alex scowled at Thomas's obvious attempts at being an asshole. "That wasn't very nice, Thomas."

Thomas merely smiled at him in response, before addressing the person next to him. "James, if you please, introduce the topic and set the starting statement."

John made an attempt to kick him. This time, Alex was prepared, and instead of him landing his mark, his foot was rather sharply stepped on. John's eyes widened rather comically. Peggy, sensing that there was an opportunity to embarrass someone, sharply nudged John.

John squeaked loudly, rapidly sliding down his chair until he was barely holding onto it, face aflame. He hurridly sat upright, clearing his throat. "Sorry, Mr Madison, I haven't been feeling too well the past two days."

Aaron was strategically hiding his grin behind his hand. Alex was biting back a smile, whereas Peggy was quietly giggling to herself. This time, when John kicked his leg in accusation, Alex allowed it.

"As I was saying..." Madison said, glancing cautiously at John, likely searching for any symptoms. "There have been calls in some states to increase education, and state that no price is too high for the guarantee of a cabable future. However, there have been an equal number of states insisting that education is already over funded, and that we must focus our efforts on providing other resources. Lee, your thoughts?"

"Education is important, of course, but we have more pressing matters to fund." Lee started, puffing his chest up. "We need to be spending more money on securing our partnership with France, and I'm sure Thomas will agree."

There was a slight set to Thomas's shoulders, one that Alex recognised; just barely tensed, ready for a fight should one arise. It meant that Thomas thought Lee was overstepping his boundaries by using both his first name and assuming Thomas's opinion. Alex wondered if anyone else had caught the microexpression.

"Sorry, Lee, but this isn't about France and how the trades deals are awkward." John frowned, leaning over the table to fix Lee a look. "What's more important? The slight chance that France will allow more exported wine, or the future of the next generation?"

" _The wine_." Alex whispered to himself. He was sure that, given his mildly drunken state, John would agree on some level. Aaron didn't hear him, focusing on Lee's answer, brows furrowed.

Thomas, however,  _did_.

"Don't be a dick." Thomas whispered back. Alex tensed, glancing around him to see if anyone else had just noticed the president calling someone a dick whilst discussing a critical point in the future.

Like Aaron, everyone else was focused on Lee's retort, so the only person that heard what Thomas had said was Alex. Him, and perhaps Madison, since his resting face was always impassive, and Alex was therefore unable to tell the difference.

"What's important is that we make a country our ally." Lee gritted out, obviously flustered at having someone relatively new to the office contradict him. He cleared his throat, raising his chin. "If we secure an ally, then we help the future of politics!"

"What about the future of the generations after us?" Aaron asked quietly. Lee narrowed his eyes, but instead of backing out, Aaron pressed the matter. "Yes, France is important, but by offering an expensive trades deal, we're neglecting the education system."

"Burr, you have a bias." Adams said evenly. Lee nodded in agreement, clasping a hand over Adams's shoulder, glowering at Aaron. Adams continued, appealing directly to Thomas for agreement. "He shouldn't be allowed to comment, he has a daughter in the education system."

"With that logic, you shouldn't be allowed to comment, given your fondness for French wine." Alex replied, tapping his fingers against the table, lips thinned.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Adams sniffed.

"Funny, nobody asked for yours." Alex muttered, keeping his voice loud enough for all to hear, but lowering it enough to seem like he was dismissing Adams.

Adams sent him an ugly sneer, and muttered to Lee, "Creole bastard."

For a second, silence fell amongst the cabinet meeting. Alex was still processing the words that had just been spoken when John threw a pen down, standing sharply and shouted, "What the  _actual fuck_  is  _wrong_  with you, Adams?"

"Shut the hell up, Laurens, this has nothing to do with you." Lee snapped, also standing, chair flying back dramatically and landing with a loud, hostile crash.

Aaron sighed heavily, hands hiding his face, and he lamented to nobody in particular, "I don't want to be here."

Alex narrowed his eyes, focusing directly on Adams, but before he could retort, Thomas's hand was on his thigh, and any response died in his throat. Madison was frantically calling the group to order, and after a minute or so of angry swearing, Peggy threatening to stab people with her nails, and Aaron saying that both Lee and Adams should ' _be less hostile, this isn't a battle, it's a cabinet meeting'_.

A long silence passed. John hastily sat down, lips thinned, evidently wanting to say something else but now unable to. Thomas sighed. "Adams. What was that?"

Adams paled, glancing around the room, before looking down. His jaw twitched in agitation as he hissed, "Nothing."

"I thought so." Thomas replied evenly. Alex tensed, about to interrupt and state that Adams needed to name a time and place. Thomas, however, guessed that Alex was about to continue the argument, so Thomas moved his hand in an soothing motion, again startling Alex out of a retort. "Sit down before you embarrass yourself further."

Alex tried to ignore the sharp flip in his chest at Thomas's hand against his thigh. He pressed his own hand against Thomas's, intending to stop the movement that was far too distracting than it had any right to be. Thomas wasn't too content in Alex having an easy victory, so he turned his hand over and interlinked their hands together. 

For a solid minute, Alex had blanked out, focusing purely on the feel of his hand in Thomas's. There were slight callouses at the tip of his fingers, which meant that at some point, Thomas had played a stringed instrument. If Alex had to guess, it would have been violin. Despite himself, the physical contact was calming him, which meant that he was now capable of plotting revenge against Adams instead of loosing his shit and calling him a motherfucker.

However cautiously, the first argument had diffused and a delegate that Alex couldn't quite remember the name of added his own opinion in favour of education. Adams seemed rather hushed, lips thinned and staring blankly at the wall in front of him, rarely commenting.

Peggy didn't comment as often as Alex expected, advocating for staring, unblinking, at Adams whilst tapping her acrylic nails loudly against the table. Somewhere in the discussion, Thomas began to draw circles against Alex's skin, apparently on autopilot, if the way Thomas was listening intently to what another unknown delegate said.

Alex didn't add points to further the argument for education, instead choosing to strengthen those already put out there or put down whatever counterargument was raised. Towards the end of the hour, more people were for funding education than beforehand, which was enough to put them in deadlock.

The meeting was soon ended when it was realised that a clear conclusion wouldn't be reached, and people soon dispersed. Thomas let his hand go, and Alex immediately missed the warm press of Thomas's hand against his. Alex glanced at his friends - Madison had long since gone, Aaron following, but both John and Peggy remained.

Peggy got the hint and stood, hand wrapping around John's arm, and he was half-lugged outside (with John only slightly staggering), leaving Alex and Thomas alone.

"I don't need you to fight my battles." Alex said quietly, crossing his arms. "I can handle Adams by myself."

"By flipping tables and screaming at him?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow. Alex scowled, and whilst Thomas certainly had a point, Alex knew he was also correct. "He said something that was completely out of line. You might think I'm an asshole-"

"You are." Alex agreed.

"-but I still have morals." Thomas finished, unfazed by Alex's input. Alex sighed, leaning back on his chair and fixing Thomas a look. "If it helps, I'm not finished being difficult."

"Oh?" Alex raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, someone has to sort through your old financial plan." Thomas shrugged innocently. Alex tried to bite back the grin that threatened to appear at Thomas's words. Thomas, however, could tell that he was correct path, and continued. "And if I hide one of the pages and cause him to take hours... well, that's a happy accident."

Alex hid his smile behind his hands. Despite the fact that he was still mildly frustrated - he would've liked to defend himself - the fact that Thomas was on his side in this aspect was rather encouraging. "What was up with the hand holding?"

"I had to find a way to shut you up." Thomas replied evenly, as though this was a normal, every day event that Alex was blowing out of proportion.

"Oh, I'm sorry I took offence to someone directly calling me out." Alex said, voice heavily saturated with sarcasm. Thomas didn't seem too impressed with his response, which Alex took as a challenge. "Truly, I wonder how you can put up with me acting so unreasonable."

"I suppose it could be worse." Thomas drawled. "You could be really passive agressive."

Alex muttered a few choice words under his breath, not particularly caring if he was overheard. Thomas ignored him, acting as though Alex wasn't there, so he increased the volume of his complaining. Eventually, Thomas snapped, "Oh my god,  _what_?" 

"Nothing, I just wanted your attention." Alex replied cheerfully. Thomas glanced up balefully at the ceiling, as though asking a higher power to intercede on his behalf. "On that note, I'm going to start plotting my revenge against Adams. I'll see you around."

"Alex, what are you planning?" Thomas asked through a sigh. Alex didn't answer, throwing a wry smile over his shoulder and he walked to the door. "At least try not to kill him."

"No promises." Alex shrugged. He supposed that he could always take formal action against Adams, but it would require more paperwork and be less fun than any revenge plan forming in his mind.

He spent a full hour at his desk, staring into space, trying to think of an idea that would be both justifiable and at the same time unable to be traced back to him. There was no doubt that Adams would know who did it, but if he avoided probable cause, no legal action could be taken against him.

Eventually, he assembled a half-formed plan, but in order to carry it out, he would need help.

"This could start a civil war in the workplace." Aaron warned. Alex flicked a dismissive hand. Anything Adams did would only open the door wider for more petty revenge.

"Then we need to strike fast, and make sure they're fumbling for a recovery." Peggy said firmly.

"We're  _adults_." Aaron expressed, glancing between Alex, John and Peggy in search of some kind of support. When he found none, he shook his head. "We work in the White House. We don't have time for petty politics."

"He insulted me." Alex stated. "Are you going to help us or talk about work ethics and our lack of maturity?"

Aaron exhaled forcefully, expression drawn with reluctance. Eventually, he conceded with a grudging, "I might be able say something that could be taken as an implied insult."

The silence that followed was completely warranted. John threw up his hands and exclaimed, "My god, we've turned him into a rebel."

"I'm scared of the monster we've created." Peggy added, shaking her head as though she was ashamed in what she had done. "Are you sure you want to take such drastic measures?"

Aaron looked mildly offended. "At least I'm offering to do something."

"I've already sorted my idea out." Peggy said. She tapped her phone importantly, turning it in her hands and she fixed Aaron an arguably condescending look. "Something to do with goats wearing party hats."

"Goats?" Alex repeated loudly, eyebrows raised. "Fucking hell, Peggy, I was thinking of hiding his laptop, not dealing with  _goats_."

"Just leave it to me." Peggy smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex's haircut is basically lins I'm sorry
> 
> Also next chapter is going to get angsty, so strap in. There will be minor character death - but only one person dies? Its not any mains like Alex or Thomas or even Aaron since he's basically a main now

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to have friends, so if you're interested in friendship, please contact me
> 
> I only have instagram;  
> procrastinating_dova
> 
> I'm fifteen, ace, male, bisexual as hell, and make dank memes about my crippling depression.


End file.
